Artist hopes mural of George Floyd in downtown Atlanta keeps current conversations going

ATLANTA — One local artist responded to George Floyd’s death by painting a mural along Marietta Street in downtown Atlanta.

And there's a conversation behind the mural that he hopes it will inspire.

Floyd, a black man died handcuffed and lying on a Minneapolis street as a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Atlanta artist Dustin Emory painted a huge mural of Floyd last week on the side of a building.

"I really just wanted to pay tribute and I think having a mural in the city was going to kind of keep the conversations going, as to what's going on in the country with systematic racism and police brutality. I want to keep those going,” Emory said.

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Emory says it's rewarding to see people of all ages posing for pictures in front of the mural. He believes art has the power to help bring about change.

"I think it's going to keep the conversation, like on the forefront of your mind it's going to, you're going to keep thinking about what needs to change and I think a piece of art can do that,” Emory said.

Emory wants to paint more murals, including one of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.

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