The issue of police violence was dragged into the spotlight this year by fearless protestors around the nation who refused to accept that their friends and relatives could be shot by police in the streets with impunity. Here in Los Angeles, KPCC revealed that since 2010, there have been 357 officer-involved shootings, and none of them resulted in officer prosecution.
Tomorrow at Mishka Gallery, Jesse Hazelip (previously) will present a performance protest called Don't Shoot, focusing on the national and local disaster that is police violence. Below you can read the official release, which details the performance part of the event, and view some of the art that will be shown. The event takes place on Friday, January 8th at 7pm and is at 128 S. La Brea.
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Over the past year, the media has finally drawn attention to the growing epidemic of police murdering unarmed minority men and women, thanks to technology now available for civilians to capture these atrocities. Yet despite stunning and damning video evidence, police officers are being enabled in their murderous behavior by our judicial system, which bails them out before they have to answer for their crimes.
To address these issues, Jesse Hazelip has chosen the phrase “Don’t Shoot”—which was adopted by protesters after the murder of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri—as the focus of his latest protest performance. During the performance piece Hazelip will have the words “Don’t Shoot” tattooed on the inside of his palms, readable in the arms-raised position. The tattoo will be done by world renowned tattoo and recording artist Amer The Gamer, owner of the infamous San Diego tattoo shop Lavish Tattoo. The performance will take place inside a “cell” structure built by Hazelip, that mimics the size of a solitary confinement prison cell.
Hazelip will dedicate this performance to the memory of Oscar Grant, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Akai Gurley, Rumain Brisbon, Laquan McDonald and many more. Musical guest DJ ABCNT will accompany the performance. The performance will be staged at the Mishka Flagship store and Gallery in Los Angeles where there will also be an exhibition of Hazelip’s current drawings, paintings, and sculptures, which deal with mass incarceration and the U.S. judicial system.
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