Abdirahman Abdi
On July 24, 2016, police were called to the Bridgetown Cafe in Ottawa after reports of groping. Abdirahman Abdi, a 37-year-old Somali-Canadian, was a regular customer known to have mental health issues. Abdi tried to flee to his apartment, where things escalated. A baton and pepper spray were used. With his neighbours and brother watching from the apartment complex, Abdi was brutally beaten. He was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead 45 minutes before he arrived.
As a black man and a person with mental health issues, Abdi’s behaviour and appearance prompted an aggressive response from the police. What did they think when they looked at his face? My painting shows him with his eyes wide and his lips parted, almost in surprise- a merited reaction, for why should he expect such cruelty from the police? No matter one’s personal situation, no one should ever fear for their safety when dealing with law enforcement.
Artist: Molly Wells
Available in 2.5"x3.5"
Ahmaud Arbery
Ahmaud Arbery was a 25-year-old black man who was out on a jog in Georgia when he was pursued by two white men, Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael, in a pickup truck. Travis McMichael eventually shot and subsequently murdered Arbery. Arbery’s murder was recorded by a third white man, William “Roddie” Bryan, who followed Arbery in a second vehicle. The incident occurred on February 23, 2020 but no arrests were made until May 7 2020, two days after the video recording was uploaded onto a local radio station. Arbery’s death was racially motivated, as Travis McMichael can be heard saying racial slurs while standing over Arbery’s body in the video. These events have sparked debates about racial inequality and the lack of hate crime laws in the state of Georgia.
Artist: Kim Poung
Available in 2.5"x3.5"
Aiyana Mo’Nay Stanley-Jones
The reason I chose Aiyana was because she is evidence and a constant reminder that brutal uses of force by police officers does not discriminate when it comes to age. Aiyana was seven years old when she was killed in her sleep by a no-knock search warrant—hence why I chose the number 7. As far as the suit goes, diamonds are commonly associated with jewelry, something girls of all ages love to wear and identify with, but it's even more than that; Being that Aiyana was taken at such a young age, she never got to do things like walk down the aisle awaiting a diamond ring that she would wear proudly for her entire life. Additionally, the decision is a play on class-wars in that neighbourhoods that are regarded lower (like heavily POC-areas) are handled with little care by law enforcement, hence the careless style of searching Aiyana's home and manner of which she and her family were treated. In a sense, Aiyana never got to grow older, attend school, and aspire to deliver a higher-standard of living for herself or her family (a diamond is also associated with wealth and victory). She was robbed of the possibility to do anything and her family remains inside the borders, without their beloved sweet daughter.
I believe my piece effectively accompanies this rationale because I used lighter colours to show her innocence, as well as a casual photo of her smiling to represent that she was a regular person with her life ahead of her, like we all were in our child photos with slight smiles. Additionally, I used loose lines outside the main drawing in the forms of flowers and suns to firmly establish that she was just a child. Some things I tried to highlight were her dread-locks and the beautiful fine texture of them—a common hairstyle closely associated with and celebrated/treasured by the black community.
Artist: Kiran Patel
Available in 2.5"x3.5"
Alteria Woods
Alteria Woods was a 21-year-old pregnant woman, known for her love of dogs and worked as a pharmacy technician in Publix. She was an innocent bystander that was murdered in the middle of a shootout between her boyfriend, Andrew Coffee IV and the police.
Artist: Annie Fu
Available in 2.5"x3.5" and 8.5"x11"
Alton Sterling
On July 5, 2016, Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man, was shot dead at close range by two Baton Rouge Police Department officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The officers were attempting to control Sterling’s arms, and Sterling was shot by them while allegedly reaching for the loaded handgun in his pants pocket. Police were responding to a report that a man in a red shirt was selling CDs and that he had used a gun to threaten a man outside a convenience store. Alton Sterling was known locally in Baton Rouge as ‘CD Man’. The owner of the store where the shooting occurred said that Sterling had started carrying a gun a few days prior to the event as other CD vendors had been robbed recently. He also said that Sterling was not the one causing trouble during the situation that led to the police being called.
The Department of Justice investigated but in May 2017 decided that it would not file criminal charges against the police officers. In response, Louisiana’s attorney general, Jeff Landry, said the state of Louisiana would open an investigation into the shooting once the Department of Justice released the physical evidence. In March 2018, Landry’s office announced it would not bring charges against the officers stating that they acted in a ‘reasonable and justifiable manner.’
The police officers involved in the shooting were Howie Lake II and Blane Salamoni. Lake had three years of law enforcement experience; Salamoni had four. Lake was subsequently placed on a department-mandated leave. He was also involved in a previous shooting of an African American male.
Sterling was pinned to the ground by both officers; one kneeling on his chest and the other on his thigh, both attempting unsuccessfully to control his arms. As Sterling’s right hand remained free, Salamoni exclaimed, He’s going into his pockets! He’s got a gun! Sterling was shot a total of six times all within close range
Artist: Travis Cuypers
Available in 2.5"x3.5"
Botham Jean
Botham Jean was a 26-year-old man, living in Dallas, Texas when he was fatally shot by an off duty police officer. She came into Botham's apartment on September 6, 2018, thinking that it was her own and shot unarmed Botham in his own home. Amber Guyger is not the first to act on the fear and prejudice built into police officers today towards Black people like Botham Jean. Guyger was charged with murder and 10 years in prison, but there will never be a way to truly justify an innocent life lost.
People close to him describe Botham as a humble, thoughtful, and loving man; and that the way he died was unjust, and did not match the generous life he lived. RIP Botham Shem Jean.
Artist: Carmen Cumming
Available in 2.5"x3.5"
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor was a 26-year old emergency medical technician from Louisville, Kentucky who was innocently killed by two police officers in her own home on March 13, 2020. The two police officers were investigating a narcotics case involving two men selling drugs at a home more than 10 miles away from Taylor's. Taylor's home was suspected of being used to receive narcotics packages and thus was granted a no-knock search warrant by a judge. The police officers broke into Taylor's home after midnight, when Taylor and her partner, Kenneth Walker were in bed. Taylor was shot at least eight times. An investigation was launched 2 months following her death on May 21, none of the officers have been arrested or charged with any crime. On June 11, Louisville City Council voted unanimously in favor of the ban of no-knock search warrants and named it 'Breonna's Law". A similar bill was also introduced named the "Justice for Breonna Taylor Act" to ban no-knock search warrants by federal law enforcement.
Artist: Valerie Wai
Available in 2.5"x3.5"
Cameron Tillman
Cameron Tillman was a 14-year-old high school student from Houma, Louisiana. He was a talented athlete and a student with a 3.7 GPA, well-loved among his friends and his family, including his older brother. On September 23 2014, Cameron was killed by the Louisiana police, when the police went to check on an abandoned house after receiving a 911 call regarding "armed men with guns".
Cameron was unarmed when he answered the door and was shot 4 times with no warning by the deputy. He was denied any medical attention for 45 minutes and his older brother and his friends watched him die. What was thought to be a gun in the vicinity was, in fact, a BB gun and the teens were within the premises with the permission of the owner. His family privately settled with the police department, however, Cameron was robbed from his future of being a talented football athlete and seeking a career in nursing.
Artist: Tarin Karunagoda
Available in 2.5"x3.5"
Dafonte Miller
Dafonte was blinded by an off duty police officer who chased him down and beat him to the point where his right eye had to be amputated. The main contention in court right now is whether Dafonte was trying to steal a car before this police officer chased him down. I want to make the point that it doesn't matter if he was trying to steal a car or not, because at the end of the day, a car could never replace an eye - only a lunatic would think a car is worth losing an eye for. If losing an eye isn't an appropriate punishment for the supposed crime, then it doesn't matter If Dafonte was trying to steal that car or not - his punishment was unjust - he didn't deserve to be brutalized by a police officer.
Artist: Arsalan Syed
Available in 2.5"x3.5"