PHOTOS: Oakland’s Black Lives Matter Murals Call for Justice

Over the last week, Oaklanders have risen up in solidarity with protestors in Minneapolis, Louisville and cities across the country to denounce police violence and systemic, anti-black racism. Tens of thousands of people marching have called for the city to defund or abolish the police, and have advocated for bringing the killers of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and other black victims of violence to justice. While the protests have mostly been peaceful, some have resulted in broken windows and graffiti that drastically changed the face of the city.

Over the weekend, local artists came together to cover Oakland’s streets with murals that bear remembrances, messages of solidarity with the black community, outrage and visions for a more equitable future. On 15th Street, artists wrote the words “Black Lives Matter” in enormous letters that spanned three blocks.

Photographer Cianni Jackson was at the scene. —Nastia Voynovskaya

Editor’s note: KQED tried to credit the artists whenever possible, but not all the murals were signed. Email nvoynovskaya@kqed.org to have an artist’s name added.