A life-size depiction of the Michael Brown crime scene following his death is at the center of a new Chicago art exhibit. And, some are furious.
Featured in the controversial piece is a life-like portrayal of Brown as he lay face down after being shot fatally by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri last year. Brown died on August 9, but Wilson was not charged.
Also featured in the exhibit is an African American statue of liberty and a noose dangling from a neon sign.
“I Can’t Breath” reads a plaque hanging over the display, referencing the death of Eric Garner earlier this year. As you may recall, Garner uttered these words just before officer Daniel Pantaleo put him in what has been described as a “chokehold” for about 15 to 19 seconds. The New York City Medical Examiner’s Office attributed Garner’s death to a combination of a chokehold, compression of his chest, and poor health.
As for the artist behind the exhibit, according to station Fox2now (St. Louis), she is an unnamed New Orleans-based white female “…whose hope is that her piece will showcase the true cost of white privilege and and how it negatively affects the Black community in America.”
As you can imagine, the art piece has received it’s fair share of backlash. “I’m beginning to be ashamed to be an American.” wrote one Facebook user. “When are they opening the exhibit of him (Brown) robbing the store owner and assaulting Darren Wilson?” wrote another. “Ok, now this is just stupid. Officer Wilson was found innocent by a Grand Jury. — A big teddy bear thug was found doing some stuff he should have not done. I guess people did not read or listen to the news about this.” said another.
Despite the backlash, it appears that the exhibit, pictured above, will run through August 10th. What are your thoughts on the piece? Sound off in the comment section below.
