In the days since George Floyd’s death, murals have gone up all around the downtown and Chinatown areas of Oakland, California, the site just couple weeks ago of a violent police response to demonstrations. They aren’t so much a peaceful contrast to the unrest as a continuation of the protests by other means. The artwork is part of an organized effort, thanks to groups like Trust Your Struggle, an artists’ collective, and today the drab plywood façades of closed businesses bear colorful reminders of what is being fought for in the streets.
Below are a handful of murals and other kinds of street art, photographed in recent days by Mother Jones‘ Grace Molteni.