My brother, a former cop and now bailiff of all people, got the idea to beautify a concrete underpass in his town with a mural. He got the idea during Covid freakouts when people were generally being mean to each other. More than usual. And the mural seemed a way to uplift the place.
So he gets sponsors, artists, city council peeps all to get on board and make it happen. And it happens. And the mural has wildlife from the area and a few references to historical figures of the town.
And because it’s an ugly slab of concrete, it’s got color. Purple skies, green lizards, yellow snakes, orange sunsets. And it’s covered before the town reveal, but as a sneak peak they tape a couple of visual color proofs before the opening.
Local people scribble on it, “Don’t bring this gay rights sh*t here.” Meanwhile, some gay person he knows in town is all bubbly because she thought it was super rainbowy special.
Rolling his eyes, he tells the artist, and overnight the guy mixes other colors in because people are reading their sh*tty politics into everything … even where it was never intended and doesn’t belong. And people just can’t have nice things as a result.
It turned out well. But people are ready to punish you for good deeds.
https://www.ccrcd.org/friends-of-alhambra-creek