Hate to be a party-pooper here, but: What’s he saying? “Stop, don’t shoot”? I’ve become a full-bore cynic when it comes to murals in the key of Ghetto Inspirational. They’re not quite as bad as the old cheerful-occupied-home window stickers they used on abandoned buildings in the South Bronx, but they’re pretty pathognomic for a lousy nabe–and this isn’t one. Why not a mural celebrating the area’s ridiculously vibrant ethnic diversity? Now, OUR side of Church–there’s an area that could use a “please don’t gang-bang” bit of artistry…is there a muralist who specializes in Impact Zones?

Just to clarify for the other readers, this mural was the work of 13 youth from Kensington who collaborated with two artists brought in by Groundswell. It wasn’t the work of a single artist, as Brenda states. It’s also worth noting that the point of the mural isn’t “respect people by not running them over” but rather to help promote traffic safety at a dangerous intersection (as identified by the DOT). I, for one, think it’s a pretty cool project, and think that the students who worked on it did a great job.