Zoe Stradeski's mural of George Floyd in chalk in front of the Saskatchewan legislative building was a centerpiece at the Black Lives Matter rally on Tuesday. Jun. 2, 2020 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

By Lisa Schick

Regina teen creates mural for George Floyd

Jun 3, 2020 | 2:26 PM

Hundreds of people were gathered in front of the legislative building Tuesday, but they were all keeping clear of a large chalk mural in the middle of the entryway.

The mural shows George Floyd and reads “Black Lives Matter” above and “I can’t breathe” below — believed to be Floyd’s last words before he died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Zoe Stradeski, 18, created the mural over about six hours on Monday. She started doing chalk drawings around her home to brighten people’s spirits during the COVID-19 quarantine and felt this situation would be an opportunity to do something impactful with her chalk.

“In the last couple days there has been quite a bit of outrage on social media about what has been going on in the States especially, but everywhere, and I wanted to do something that would raise awareness in my own way,” Stradeski said.

“It’s a very important cause that deserves recognition from all races everywhere, because every life matters and there is no one anywhere that is deserving of the injustice that the black community has faced.”

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She said the people who are being killed are fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. She said they’re human and don’t deserve what’s being done to them.

“In the last few days I’ve been watching quite a few videos and reading a lot of articles and posts about what’s going on and it just outrages me, the stuff that people face simply due to the colour of their skin,” Stradeski said.

Stradeski said she’d like to do more art for social justice causes. She’s thinking about doing something to thank frontline medical workers for their service during the pandemic, and will pay attention to what’s happening in the news as well.