In the context of Black Lives Matter street mural (Indianapolis), explore the Creation of the History.
On June 5, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, the city of Washington, D.C. painted the words "Black Lives Matter" near the White House, and, subsequently, similar messages were painted on streets in many cities, by activists or local governments. Around this time, Indy10, the local Black Lives Matter organizing group in Indianapolis, began planning for the possibility of a street mural in the city. On July 13, 2020, the Indianapolis City-County Council passed a resolution, with 21 of 25 councillors in favor—every Democrat supporting and every Republican opposing—directing the painting of "Black Lives Matter" on Indiana Ave, calling it "an anti-racist message". While the Indianapolis Department of Public Works was tasked with coordinating the painting, the effort was organized by Indy10, and funded with the support of local community organizations, including the Indianapolis Urban League and the Central Indiana Community Foundation. Artists were paid fees for their work by funding provided by Tamika Catchings, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player for the Indiana Fever. Soon after the council resolution, Indy10, working with local arts advocates Stacia Moon, Mali Jeffers and Alan Bacon, put out a call to the community seeking artists for the mural, as well as performers for the event when it would be painted.The mural was painted beginning on the morning of Saturday, August 1, 2020. The weekend of the painting, Indiana Ave was closed, and community groups organized a public festival with speakers, music, and spoken word performances. There was also a reading of names of people who had been killed by police, and involvement from family and community members connected with them. Like the mural, the event was described as not just about police killings, but as reclaiming Indiana Ave for its community and celebrating Black joy. The event was mostly full of supporters, but there were a small number of counter protestors and security was present. Despite Saturday rain, the painting was completed on Sunday.The block of Indiana Ave with the mural was first closed vehicular traffic through Monday, August 3, then extended to Thursday, August 6 to allow time for paint to dry. Eventually, the closure was extended to Labor Day to allow additional time for public viewing.
Indianapolis Indy10 Indiana Fever Central Indiana Community Foundation Democrat Indianapolis City-County Council Tamika Catchings Mali Jeffers White House Black Lives Matter Indiana Alan Bacon Urban League George Floyd protests Labor Day Republican Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame