Kenyan artist pays tribute to George Floyd with epic mural
By Hilary KimuyuA Kenyan mural artist Allan Mwangi, also known as Mr Detail Seven, has painted a graffiti mural in Kibera to pay tribute to George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, in the United States.
Mwangi painted a portrait of the famous photos of Floyd in a black cardigan that has been shared countless times across the globe. He painted it majorly in orange and brown colours.
Floyd died on May 25 after police officer Derek Chauvin pressed down his knee on his neck for nearly 10 minutes.
Haki
The Swahili word ‘Haki’, which translates to ‘Justice’, is also inscribed in the mural as well as the names of some Kenyans who have died as a result of police brutality.
According to the autopsy results, Floyd died of a heart attack while being restrained by officers.
His official cause of death is listed as “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”
That conclusion, death due to heart failure, differs from the one reached by an independent examiner hired by the Floyd family; that report listed the cause of death as “asphyxiation from sustained pressure.”
His death has sparked a series of protests in different cities in the United States and across the globe with protesters calling for reform and an end to racial discrimination.
On Thursday, mourners gathered by the thousands in cities around the US to remember Floyd, following a private memorial service in Minneapolis for the 46-year-old black man.
On Wednesday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced upgraded charges of second-degree unintentional murder against Chauvin. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
Three other officers at the scene were charged for the first time on Wednesday with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.