Philly Mural Project ‘Portraits of Justice’ Confronts Mass Incarceration | Colorlines

[dropcap]Few[/dropcap] historical figures represent the history of racist policing and incarceration in Philadelphia stronger than Frank Rizzo. The late mayor and police chief’s legacy of attacks against the Black community, including the local Black Panthers chapter, remains so polarizing that many residents seek to remove or replace public tributes to him.[mc4wp_form id=”6042″]

Mural Arts Philadelphia Executive Director Jane Golden celebrates the opening of the “Portraits of Justice” project. (Emma Lee/WHYY) Photo Credit.

Now, a pair of formerly incarcerated artists targets the problems Rizzo embodied with “Portraits for Justice,” a new mural project that features portraits of other formerly incarcerated people set on backgrounds that look like brick walls, which symbolize the barriers they face upon reentry.