Skip to Content
Art

Preview: Don’t Shoot by Jesse Hazelip

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.

DONT_SHOOT_FLYER_NEW
COV

[divider]Preview Images[/divider]

GodAnswerMe
psychoWOLF_sml
Lady_Justice_sml

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.

02_God Answer Me_JH

[divider]Show Catalog[/divider]

03_Prayer_JH
04_Enrages_JH
05_Punit_JH
14_Wheel of Law_JH
17_COV_JH
18_Prayer Ink_JH
20_High Power_JH
21_Rikers_JH
22_Big K_JH
23_Trucha_JH
24_East_JH
26_North_JH

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Tens of Thousands of Angelenos Flock to L.A.’s Flower District for a Valentine’s Day Flower Free-For-All

Tens of thousands made their way to the city's wholesale flower capital, jamming the streets and sidewalks with countless flowers and people. L.A. TACO'S contributing photographer Kemal Cilengir was there to capture it all, including street vendors getting fined and the dystopian-like flower free-for-all being had by lovestruck customers and hustling vendors eager to offload their prized plants.

February 14, 2025

This Weekend: A New Bar-Setting Indian Restaurant, Duck Laab Pizza, and a Filipino Breakfast Diner Pop-Up

Have a three-day weekend full of chai cheesecake, black garlic cocktails, egg pie, and famous flour tortillas.

February 14, 2025

Self-Defense Against ICE: Community Groups In L.A. Are Uniting to Protect Themselves

More than 50 organizations have joined the call to join this coalition, making it one of Southern California's largest immigrant rights coalitions. The group aims to extend from the San Fernando Valley to the U.S./Mexico border. The coalition is organizing training sessions to prepare its members for community tactics to defend their neighbors from ICE raids and deportations. Their first mass protest is taking place on Monday.

February 13, 2025

Tacos Before Vatos: 13 Tacos In L.A. That Will Make You Forget About Him

For L.A. TACO, love is always in the air, and it smells like charcoal burning on a sunny day under carne asada and tortillas hot off the comal, with vibrant salsas, caramelized onions, and thick guacamole. Forget him, and spend time with things that matter in life: tacos, forever. 

February 13, 2025

Unmatched Hustle: Immigrant from Michoacán’s Tierra Caliente Creates Innovative Tortillería on Wheels…In Bakersfield

Many come and buy pounds and pounds to share with their family members as soon as they taste a warm “taco de sal,” a tortilla sprinkled simply with salt and rolled up like a thin flauta. It’s common to eat tacos de sal while waiting in line at a tortillería in Mexico, but not so much in the U.S. 

February 12, 2025
See all posts