Driving the message

Street murals support Black Lives Matter

With several new paintings finished this week, Oklahoma City has joined the national trend of street murals honoring minority communities and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Two separate groups received permits from the city to paint street murals in downtown Oklahoma City and on NE 36 and Springlake Drive this week.

In northeast Oklahoma City,

Council woman Nikki Nice and the Oklahoma City chapter of Black Lives Matter coordinated to paint “BLACK LIVES MATTER!” in large yellow letters across the street.

“The community is extremely pleased ,” Nice said. “We see a lot of people slowing down when they drive over it because it is something different and a message we are carrying forward. We are speaking to those who are not Black, but we are also speaking to the Black community, to say that Black lives do matter.” Nice said several groups donated funds and paint to make the mural possible, and people even pulled up chairs to watch the painting take place.

“It turned into a real community effort,” she said. Near the Oklahoma City police headquarters and the Oklahoma County jail, a series of murals show flags dedicated wto the Native American and LGBTQ communities. The words“Black Lives Matter” were also painted.

Organizer Brandon Riles said he thought it was crucial to emphasize the message that there is support for Black Americans from many different community groups.

Other painters said they came out to participate in a project that is likely going to stir conversations.

“It means a lot tome because I think it's a great idea to get the community together,” said Elizabeth Shilling, an artist with HeartLocke Studio who designed the downtown murals. “Art can be a very therapeutic thing to do, so I think this is good for people to put their efforts into something like this.”

This is not the first artistic display in the city to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

In early June when protests against police brutality were just starting after George Floyd died when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, an Oklahoma City artist painted a mural of Floyd outside police headquarters.

Nice said she would like to see more murals painted throughout the city if the community has ideas.

A man takes video Wednesday of the BLACK LIVES MATTER! that was painted on the westbound lanes of Springlake Drive, just east of the intersection of NE 36 and Springlake Drive. [DOUG HOKE PHOTOS/ THE OKLAHOMAN]

People paint portions of Shartel Avenue., next to the Oklahoma City Police Headquarters on Tuesday.