Milwaukee honors victims of police violence with inspiring murals

Moved by the protest over the deaths of George Floyd that had taken place over the last several days, Ihsan Atta, who owns the storage building at the corner of North Avenue and North Holton Street, decided he wanted to use the building for something more than just storage. Atta, a lover of art, decided to use it for a mural dedicated to the memory of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. He posted a call-out for artists on Facebook, and Chris Burke, artist and owner of Ghost Light Tattoo Parlor, responded enthusiastically. More than 30 community members and artists participated in creating the mural. After finishing the Floyd mural and receiving such a positive response to it, another property owner a few block away at Holton and Locust donated space for a mural to Breonna Taylor.

Taylor was shot and killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky when they entered her home in the middle of the night and opened fire while she was asleep in bed. This mural was done by artists Ruben Alcantar and Chris Burke. Many have been greatly moved by the murals and they have inspired others. Plywood put up to cover a broken window at the Riverwest Filling Station at the corner of Keefe and Pirece led three local women of color to a stroke of brilliance. The three female artists, Marlena Eanes (left); Megan Milwaukee honors victims of police violence with inspiring murals Goers (right); and Angelique Byrne (not pictured) decided to use the space to paint a mural entitled “Safer at Home,” because the women featured in the mural were all killed in their own homes. They include Breonna Taylor, Atatiana Jefferson, and Aiyana Jones.