NEW
NEW THIS
NEW THIS MORNING AND IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS FOR YOURSELF YOU'VE DEFINITELY SEEN IT ON
SOCIAL MEDIA. THE BLACK LIVES
MATTER MURAL ON INDIANA AVENUE
DOWNTOWN IS COMPLETE. YEAH, A
LOT OF WORK AND LOVE WENT INTO
THIS AND MEREDITH GOT TO SPEAK
TO ONE OF THE ARTISTS WHO DID
SOME OF THE PAINTING THEN
MEREDITH SAYS IT WAS REALLY A
POWERFUL EXPERIENCE. YEAH,
THAT'S WHAT REBECCA TOLD ME
THAT JUST BEING THERE THE
ENERGY THAT WAS THERE THAT
MORNING, ALL OF THE ARTISTS
THAT WERE THERE WERE PEOPLE
OF COLOR OR BLACK MEN AND WOMEN
WHO GOT A DIFFERENT LETTER THAT
THEY HAD TO PAINT AND SHE
TALKED A LITTLE BIT TO ABOUT
SOME OF THE BACKLASH THEY'VE
RECEIVED ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT
CAMPAIGNS ON SOCIAL MEDIA THAT
PEOPLE HAVE DONE TO ALREADY
DEFACE THE MURAL TELLING ME
ABOUT ONE WHERE GUYS OFFERING
PEOPLE ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS TO
DO BURNOUTS ON TOP OF IT TO
KIND OF MESS IT UP. BUT SHE'S A
GREAT PERSON, A GREAT ARTIST.
LISTEN TO WHAT SHE HAD TO SAY.
WE ARE RIGHT HERE ON HISTORIC
INDIANA AVENUE AND WE ARE
LOOKING AT THE BLACK LIVES
MATTER. A STREET MURAL. THIS IS
ARTIST REBECCA ROBINSON. SHE
PAINTED THE OWL IN BLACK FOR
THE MURAL. IT'S SOMETHING THAT
SIGNIFIES, YOU KNOW,
EMPOWERMENT. JUSTICE. EQUALITY
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN
ANYTHING, UNITY. AND I FELT
LIKE THAT ENCOMPASSES
EVERYTHING. A NEW NATION. I
THINK WE WERE HEADED IN THE
RIGHT DIRECTION BUT WE HAVE A
LOT OF WORK TO YOUR HAND.
YOU'RE AN ARTIST AND YOU'RE
LIKE YOU'VE GOT A BROKEN WRIST.
WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DOWN
HERE AROUND 8:00 A.M. ON
SATURDAY MORNING. I WAS UP
UNTIL TWO THIRTY OR THREE THE
NIGHT BEFORE DOING STENCILS. I
HAD EVERYTHING LAID OUT. I GOT
UP THAT MORNING. I WAS JUST
TRYING TO GET SO I WAS HUSTLING
AND SAY, YOU KNOW, I JUST WIPED
OUT. I HAVEN'T FELT LIKE THAT
SINCE I WAS PART LIKE 4 YEARS
OLD LITERALLY. SO WHAT DO THE
WORDS BLACK LIVES MATTER MEAN
TO BLACK LIVES MATTER IS JUST
SUCH A POWERFUL STATEMENT. YOU
KNOW, THERE'S MIXED FEELINGS
ABOUT IT. IT DOESN'T THAT IS
CREDIT ALL LIVES. NOT AT ALL. I
THINK THAT'S PRETTY THAT'S A
GIVEN. YOU KNOW, ALL LIVES DO
MATTER BUT BLACK LIVES MATTER
BECAUSE YOU KNOW, THERE HAS
BEEN SO LESS INJUSTICE AND
INEQUALITY AND IT'S TIME FOR
PEOPLE TO SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT
AND DO YOUR PART WHATEVER THAT
MAY BE. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO
SOMEONE WHO'S POSTING OR
PUBLICLY SAYING THAT THEY'RE
GOING TO COME AND DESTROY THE
MURAL? I THINK IT'S HOW YOU
REACT TO IT. AND I'M REALLY
PROUD THAT EVEN THOUGH THAT WAS
BOUND TO HAPPEN AND IT'S GOING
TO CONTINUE TO HAPPEN, YOU HAVE
TO JUST YOU KNOW, STAND YOUR
GROUND, DO WHAT YOU CAME TO DO
AND BE PROUD OF THAT. AND THEN
TOMORROW WHO KNOWS WHAT'S GOING
TO HAPPEN IF IT GETS DEFACED.
OK. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
PAINT ANOTHER ONE. MAYBE WE'LL
WORK WITH THE CITY AND SAY
WE'LL BE DOWN ON A DIFFERENT
STREET. SO BRING IT ON. YOU
KNOW WHAT I MEAN? SO SHE TALKED
A LITTLE BIT AS I WAS SAYING
ABOUT THOSE CAMPAIGNS THAT YOU
MIGHT HAVE SEEN EVEN IN OUR
COMMENTS SECTION ON OUR
FACEBOOK PAGE WHERE PEOPLE ARE
OFFERING MONEY TO DO BURNOUTS.
THERE WAS A LOCAL BUSINESS
OWNER OFFERING FREE BUCKETS
OF ASPHALT IF PEOPLE WOULD COME
GET THEM, PICK THEM UP AND THEN
THROW THEM ON TOP OF THE MURAL
.SHE SAID AS THE ARTIST SHE'S
JUST A VERY POSITIVE PERSON. AS
YOU HEARD SHE SAID I WISH
PEOPLE COULD DISAGREE WITHOUT
IT BEING SO VOLATILE IF YOU
DON'T AGREE WITH THE BLACK
LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT AND WHAT
THEY STAND FOR. SHE WAS I CAME
JUST KIND OF LOOKED THE OTHER
WAY. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE I
DON'T LIKE IT SO I'M GOING TO
DESTROY IT. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I
MEAN? YEAH, THAT WAS ONE OF THE
THINGS I'VE SEEN. I'VE SEEN
WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
ONLINE WHERE PEOPLE SAY THEY'RE
GOING TO, YOU KNOW, PAY PEOPLE
A HUNDRED DOLLARS TO DO
BURNOUTS ON THIS. I JUST DON'T
UNDERSTAND THE AMOUNT OF HATE
AND ANGER THEY'RE GOING THAT
DIRECTION. I MEAN THIS IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT THE TAXPAYERS
PAID FOR. THIS WAS DONE WITH
PRIVATE FUNDS. AND THIS IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS ANYONE'S
COMMUNITY. THIS IS A LOVING WAY
OF SAYING HEY, YOU KNOW, THIS
IS A WAY OF SPEAKING OUT. AND
SO I'M JUST I'M PERPLEXED BY
THE NEGATIVITY THAT IS
SURROUNDING IT AND I'M HOPING
AS HOOSIERS THAT WE COULD BE
BETTER THAN THAT. YEAH. AND I
AM GLAD TO HEAR FROM HER THAT
AT LEAST THIS IS HEALING FOR
THEM. AND YOU KNOW THERE'S MORE
TO IT THAT