Each activist has been sent a digital file of their portrait, and any proceeds from this work are being donated to the Chicago Honor Initiative, a group dedicated to the creation of lasting peace in the streets of Chicago.

17 June 2020
Three weeks ago one more murder at the hands of police in the United State - this time in Minnesota. This time the victim, George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed. A young woman who was passing by recorded the nearly nine minutes of sadistic brutality by the group of murderous cops. The entire country has erupted in on-going protests, which have been echoed in countries across the globe. Mostly peaceful protests are often being met by aggressive police who are now armed with newly acquired arsenals of weapons that have been re-purposed from the United States military. From tanks to sonic sounds that cause confusion, often leaving permanent brain damage. Three billion dollars allocated to the police for the city of Los Angeles, while only one million is set aside for education and social services?

As with protests globally throughout history, bands of criminals with no affiliation to the peaceful protestors looted stores in other cities, which resulted in nearly every store in the two-block downtown district in my sleepy small port town of San Pedro to boarding up their windows. As though protesters might break into restaurants to steal potatoes? Once again, ignorance of the facts stoking the fears created by sensationalist media coverage in search of higher television ratings and increased profits for the networks focused on random vandalism and looting.

Protest exists to create dialogue. Protest asks questions and demands answers.

Annie Appel