Long Branch Neighbourhood Association mural lead Moises Frank has been busy drawing Black figures in Toronto’s Graffiti Ally during recent protests for racial equality.
Frank, whose art graces the Eight Street Skatepark, is well-known in the area and has done other work to beautify spaces in Long Branch and the community.
He and Jessey Pacho, co-organized the “graffiti jam,” as their way to speak out against the oppression they are seeing.
They put out a call and about 40 artists from the Toronto area and Montreal converged in Graffiti Ally, near Spadina Ave. and Queen Street W. to pay tribute to George Floyd and other Black figures through their art.
Joining the other murals in the ally are illustrations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Floyd, whose death led to global protests after he was killed by a Minneapolis cop on May 25; and Breonna Taylor, 26, who was killed by Kentucky police in her home last March.
The alley is a tourist hotspot since its buildings have been gradually covered over the years with bright-coloured sketches and paintings.
Moises has recently worked for the NBA Allstar game, Converse Canada and last year drew a fantastic departing mural of former Toronto Raptor Kawhi Leonard after the team won the championship.