GEORGE FLOYD MURAL UNVEILED
AT JAMAICA COLOSSEUM MALL
BY JACOB KAYE
A mural dedicated to George Floyd, whose death at
the hands of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek
Chauvin in May set off a wave of protests across the
U.S., was unveiled at Jamaica Colosseum Mall on
Tuesday, Aug. 25.
The portrait of Floyd’s face, painted on the side of
the mall located at 89-02 165 St., also honors a handful
of other Black men, women and children who were
killed by police officers across the country, including
Sean Bell, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner,
Tamir Rice, Philando Castile and Amadou Diallo.
The mural was created by “partners in paint,”
Shenna Vaughn and William Bentley, who were both
approached by Thomas Logan, the property manager
of the Jamaica Colosseum Mall, to paint the mural on
the ground floor, as well as a second mural near the
top of the parking garage of the mall.
“My hope is that it inspires,” Vaughn said. “We’re
using art as our way to do our part and speak to and
reach the community. If we all use our gifts, we can
make change for the better.”
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | SEPT. 4-SEPT. 10, 2020
Terrance Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, attended
the unveiling, as did Councilman Rory Lancman,
members of Community Board 12 and Kevin
Livingston, the founder of the nonprofit 100 Suits for
1oo Men.
“I hope that the mural unifies the community and
inspires the community to take care of each other and
to remember history,” Bentley said.
Photos by Dean Moses
The two Black artists said that even before the mural
was completed, members of the community would
walk by and share how the act of creating the mural
was already an inspiration. Vaughn said that at one
point, a girl passing by was surprised to see the duo
creating art on the side of a wall.
“We can do that?” Vaughn said the girl asked, happily
surprised.
“I want everyone else to know that they have gifts
within them, too,” Bentley said. “It’s a tragic situation
but I’ve learned to take tragedy and do what we can
within our power to make it better. Hopefully the mural
helps us get through this darkness.”
Logan said he hopes the mural gets at what he see’s
as the central message of Floyd’s tragic death.
“My aim was to keep it simple and to bring the narrative
back to where it belongs, where the fight is,”
Logan said. “It’s not just about George Floyd. He’s the
face of hundreds and hundreds of people who have lost
their lives to racial injustice.”
More of the artists’ work can be viewed on
Instagram at @magichandsmurals.
Additional reporting by Dean Moses.
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