100 ‘Justice For Our Lives’ portraits complete
A chapter in my artist journey has just come to an end. I have now completed 100 ‘Justice For Our Lives’ portraits. I started this project in 2014 to gain visibility for victims of police killings. It has taken seven years to get to this point while considering the two years where I took an extended break because this work is very difficult to sustain on multiple levels. Finalizing this project is a very important step in my journey as an artist.
From day one this project has continued to evolve, even now as I continue to build out its online presence. My plan moving forward is to include a write up for each individual to provide further reference for my website visitors. I know this will take a long time to complete as my priority at the moment is to build up my main body of work with full dedication. One thing I am very excited about is to incorporate a business approach to my work which is what I could not do with ‘Justice For Our Lives’ out of respect for the victims.
I believe this project has had an impact, even slightly, in the awareness of police violence in this country. In the Bay Area alone, and especially in San Francisco, it became the visual backdrop in the fight for justice against the murderous SFPD for a hand full of years. It also became the center piece for the longest sustained protest in response to the killing of a latino man that I could remember (Alex Nieto). I once met someone that told me they became aware of Alex Nieto because of my art project and that made me realize this work had a meaningful place in the struggle for racial justice.
A good amount of these portraits came at the request of impacted family members. I wish there was no reason for creating these portraits in the first place but once these incidents happen, most families are left with very little support so offering art as a tool to assist their struggle is very important. 100 individuals is the slightest fraction of people killed in this country by police each year. It does not begin capture the full magnitude of this problem and the effect it has on black and brown communities which is why it is important to support families who suffer the most.
I feel a sense of fulfillment witnessing the amount of engagement this project has accomplished over the years. The first time I saw this project being used outside the Bay Area was when I came across an instagram post of a demonstration in Times Square in response to the killing of Eric Garner at the hands of NYPD. People where pulling the image from my Facebook page and printing it out on their own before I set up my website to formally offer these as free downloads. Since then ive seen these portraits in action as far as Paris, France. We have been able to accomplish this reach without legitimate funding and all it took was time, community, and commitment.
Although I will not continue adding portraits to this collection, it does not mean that I will no longer be active around issues of police violence. When the situation presents itself, I will still utilize this project to engage with the public but I will also have my main body of work to do the same. My new direction in art will allow me to broaden my narrative and speak on other issues of racial injustice beyond law enforcement. Aside from that, I also want to tell my own story and find joy in my art practice which has not been the case for a long time. I want to thank every single person who has contributed to this project in some kind of way. Without the support I definitely would not of been able to sustain this effort.
Unfortunately there is still so much work to be done. Police departments are yet to be defunded and their officers continue to kill with impunity. The public continues to consume fear based programing by mainstream news outlets preventing us from realizing the truth that police do not prevent crime. Conditions like homelessness, unemployment, poor education, and poor mental health continue to be maintained by the system that does not care about how it directly contributes to unsafe communities. Theres just so much that continues to get worse as the years go by in this post pandemic world. As artists we must continue to do our work in shifting culture while supporting victims that are most impacted by state violence.
