There’s a new memorial mural for George Floyd in Yellow Springs. Artist Pierre Nagley tells WYSO’s Jason Reynolds he just had to document this moment in American history.
Nagley says he, like millions of others, was deeply impacted by watching the video of George Floyd being killed by a Minneapolis police officer.
“It seemed like he was pleading to his mother,” Nagley says. “There was a moment when he said, ‘They’re gonna kill me, momma,’ and it was heartbreaking.”
In addition to a larger than life portrait, the mural features some of Floyd's last words, along with the phrase “enough is enough is enough…” There’s also a map of America and COVID-19 graphics.
The mural was supported by Yellow Springs businesses. The Emporium let him use their wall. Yellow Springs Hardware donated paint. Unfinished Creations gave him brushes, and Nagley says the community bolstered his confidence.
“As I was painting the mural, people were driving by and taking photos, and there was a lot of applause coming,” he says. “People were so overjoyed to see this mural go up.”
The mural is in Keith’s Alley, in downtown Yellow Springs.
