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01st Jun 2020

Dublin artist creates George Floyd mural and says ‘it’s more important than any other work’

James Fenton

Dublin artist Emmalene Blake has created a George Floyd mural in honour of the man whose death last week has sparked mass demonstrations across the US and beyond.

Emmalene Blake, who has become known for her multiple creations in Tallaght, shared an image of the piece on Instagram along with the words ‘It’s more important than any other work I’m doing at the moment.’

View this post on Instagram

Reposting this as the sun yesterday made it impossible to get a decent photo, and also it's more important than any other work I'm doing at the moment. . "Please, I can't breathe." . The video of a police officer kneeling on George Floyd's neck until he loses consciousness is one of the most upsetting and disturbing things I've ever seen. . Teach kids about racism, intolerance and privilege. Teach them to recognise their privilege – white privilege, class privilege, straight privilege, cis privilege, male privilege – and teach them to be allies. Teach them to not just not be racist or discriminatory, but to always stand up to racism and discrimination. Teach them to do better than all of the generations that came before them. . "George Floyd was known to his close friends as “Big Floyd“. Big Floyd grew up in Houston, Texas, in Third Ward Cuney Homes. He was an all-around athlete growing up. He was the starting Tight End for Yates High School’s football team in 1992 when they went all the way to the State Championship. . Big Floyd was known throughout his community as a peacemaker, a minister, and someone to take advice from. He was a father and brother. He loved his family and wanted to provide a better future for them. . George Floyd moved to Minneapolis to get better working opportunities for himself and for his family. He started driving trucks in Minnesota and went on to also work at a restaurant in Minneapolis as a security guard. He was known in his new job as a hardworking and friendly employee. Everywhere he went he was the same caring and kind spirit. . George Floyd was a peace activist and respected community leader. He was far from his home in Houston when he was murdered in broad daylight by Minneapolis police." . Let this be the last time this happens. . #georgefloyd #icantbreathe #bigfloyd #blacklivesmatter

A post shared by Emmalene Blake / ESTR (@emmaleneblake) on

She adds that ‘the video of a police officer kneeling on George Floyd’s neck until he loses consciousness is one of the most upsetting and disturbing things I’ve ever seen’ and calls on society to ‘teach kids about racism, intolerance and privilege.’

George Floyd died in Minneapolis last Monday after being held down by police officer Derek Chauvin for eight minutes. Chauvin has since been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd’s death.

Yesterday, demonstrations took place in Dublin in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and those protesting against police violence in the United States.

Since the Covid-19 crisis began, Emmalene has created a number of pieces that have caught the attention of the public. You can check out more of her work here.

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