Apple Has Donated the Black Lives Matter Mural Painted Outside Its Downtown Store to Don’t Shoot PDX

Over time, the mural grew into a local and national symbol of the protests against the police killings of Black people that occurred across America last summer.

The boarded-up Apple Store in downtown Portland has become a mural honoring George Floyd and other people killed by police. (Wesley Lapointe)
By Matthew Singer

In the early days of Portland's protests against the police killings of Black Americans, artist Emma Berger painted an image of George Floyd on the plywood protecting the windows of the Apple store downtown, along with the words "I Can't Breathe."

Over time, other artists added to it, and the mural grew into a local and national symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Now, local civil rights group Don't Shoot PDX has been entrusted with its future preservation. On Friday, Apple announced it will donate the mural to the organization, calling it "a monumental art piece honoring the ongoing fight for justice."

"Apple stands in support of the artists and all who are fighting for social and racial justice," the company wrote in a statement. "We are honored to have hosted the murals and are very happy to entrust the artwork to Don't Shoot Portland in support of their advocacy for social change."

On its Instagram page, Don't Shoot wrote that it considers the responsibility for preserving the paintings an "honor," and that the panels "reflect the responses of so many that were witnesses to last summer's uprisings, answering the joint call to action against institutionalized violence and white nationalism."

The organization has not clarified its plans for the mural, but any artists who contributed to it are encouraged to contact the group through its website.

Related: Emma Berger’s Mural of George Floyd Sparked a Massive Community Art Project Downtown.

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