This public art project found a new way to bring the January 6 attacks to life
Wall of Shame is artist Phil Buehler's 50-foot-long, 10-foot-tall mural put up in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn in partnership with Radio Free Brooklyn; it takes a data viz approach to very recent history. Subtitled Visualizing the J6 Insurrection, it's made up of more than 1,500 color-coded waterproof vinyl panels that display a headshot, name, age, and hometown of rioters who invaded the Capitol on January 6, along with details of their actions on that day, including their charges and sentencing—all information that is publicly available.
The U.S. flag-inspired colors used for the mural are designed to turn right-wing positioning of rioters as patriots on its head. Red panels indicate violent rioters, while blue panels indicate those who damaged property. The rest are white, according to Radio Free Brooklyn, a local New York station. 'A red hat, white skin, and blue jeans don't make you a patriot. But storming the Capitol makes you a traitor,' Buehler told the station.
Buehler's approach makes the attack more personal. This isn't another photo or footage of the faceless mob of flag-waving rioters storming the Capitol in an attempt to overturn an election; it's a look at individual people from the crowd. The artist fact-checked everything written on the panels with reporting from NPR.
The artist has made two previous murals with Radio Free Brooklyn. Wall of Lies in 2020 was made up of 20,000 false statements Trump made during his first term as president. Wall of Liars and Deniers in 2022 showed Republican candidates running for office that year who denied the results of the 2020 election. Wall of Shame was unveiled on Independence Day.
A February Washington Post /Ipsos poll found that 83% of Americans opposed Trump offering clemency for violent criminal offenders connected to the attack, and 55% opposed him offering clemency for nonviolent crimes. But in today's fast-paced political news cycle, January 2021 can feel like ancient history. By turning the backstories of those who attacked the Capitol into public art, Buehler and Radio Free Brooklyn found a new way to visualize the story, and from hundreds of different points of view.
The super-early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, July 25, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Judge rejects Trump administration effort to unseal Epstein grand jury records
A US judge has rejected a Trump administration request to unseal transcripts from grand jury investigations of Jeffrey Epstein years ago in Florida. A similar records request is pending in New York. District judge Robin Rosenberg in West Palm Beach, Florida said the request to release grand jury documents from 2005 and 2007 did not meet any of the extraordinary exceptions under US law that could make them public. The Justice Department last week asked the judge to release records to quell a storm among supporters of US President Donald Trump who believe there was a conspiracy to protect Epstein's clients, conceal videos of crimes being committed and other evidence. In 2008, Epstein cut a deal with prosecutors in Florida that allowed him to escape more severe federal charges and instead plead guilty to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution. The wealthy financier was later arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. His former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, was charged with helping him abuse teenage girls. Epstein was found dead in his cell at a jail in New York City about a month after he was arrested. Investigators concluded he killed himself. Maxwell later was convicted at trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison. The case attracted attention because of Epstein and Maxwell's links to famous people, including royals, presidents and billionaires. It also led to some of the biggest conspiracy theories animating Mr Trump's base.
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
DOJ told Trump that his name is among others in the Epstein files: report
Justice Department officials told President Donald Trump earlier this year that his name, among others, appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein documents, according to a report. Attorney General Pam Bondi informed the president in May that his name appeared in the documents, senior officials told the Wall Street Journal. His name was one of many high-profile figures in the files, the outlet reported. However, a mention in the file does not mean there was wrongdoing. One official told the outlet that hundreds of names are in the documents. 'This is another fake news story, just like the previous story by The Wall Street Journal,' White House communications director Steven Cheung told the paper. Last week, the Journal published a report claiming that Trump gave Epstein a 50th birthday card containing a sexually suggestive drawing and a message suggesting the men shared 'secrets.' The president vehemently denied the claims and even sued the paper and its owners for $10 billion. During the May meeting, Trump was told that DOJ officials didn't plan to release any more documents related to investigation because the material contained child pornography and victims' personal information, the outlet reported. The president then said he would defer to the Justice Department's decision against making any further disclosures. The revelation comes as the president tries to distance himself from the late financier and the fanfare surrounding the case. Attention around the case has bubbled up since the DOJ released a July 6 memo that said the department would make no further disclosures in the case. Even MAGA and prominent Republicans have since called for increased transparency around the handling of the case. The July 6 memo stung to some, including Trump's MAGA following, who had been anticipating more revelations in the case ever since Trump promised on the campaign trail to declassify the files. Earlier this year, Bondi said she had a 'truckload' of files to review from the FBI. In February, she even said the 'client list' of high-profile associates linked to the sex offender's trafficking scheme was sitting on her desk. That month, she also released 'Phase 1' of the files, a tranche of documents that included mostly publicly available information. Amid mounting public pressure, the president asked Bondi to make public any 'pertinent' grand jury transcripts. Bondi then asked the judges overseeing the cases of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the financier's former girlfriend who is now serving 20 years behind bars for her role in a scheme to abuse girls with Epstein. Experts have noted that releasing the transcripts would only account for a small portion of the files at play. On Wednesday, a federal judge in Florida rejected a request from the Trump administration to unseal the grand jury transcripts related to an investigation into Epstein in the state in the mid-2000s. Justice Department officials are planning to meet with Maxwell 'in the coming days,' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Tuesday. Later that day, the House Oversight Committee approved a subpoena for Maxwell. Trump said that the subpoena for Maxwell "sounds appropriate" during questions from reporters at the White House. Trump has been trying to keep an arm's length from the case, but his frustration has shown through. The president reportedly hung up on a reporter after 30-seconds on the phone Tuesday after he asked about unearthed archived photos showing Epstein attending the president's 1993 to Marla Maples. 'You've got to be kidding me,' Trump said before hanging up, CNN reported. Trump has also claimed the Epstein files were a 'hoax' cooked up by the Democrats. Last week, he went so far as to attack his 'past supporters' in a Truth Social post for buying into 'this 'bulls***,' hook, line and sinker.' He slammed: 'Let these weaklings continue forward and do the Democrats' work, don't even think about talking of our incredible and unprecedented success, because I don't want their support anymore!'
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New bill introduced into Congress would allow TKO to create UFC structure in boxing
Dana White's biggest play in boxing yet is starting to take shape. UFC CEO White, who founded TKO Boxing alongside Saudi Arabian boxing financier Turki Alalshikh and WWE President Nick Khan, will promote the Sept. 13 battle of pound-for-pound greats between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez and Terence "Bud" Crawford — but a move perhaps more important for TKO in the long run was presented in the United States Congress on Wednesday. A new bipartisan bill, the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, has been introduced by two members of Congress — Georgia Republication Brian Jack and Kansas Democrat (and former MMA fighter) Sharice Davids — to amend the Professional Boxing Safety Act. The bill would allow for the creation of alternative systems called Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs). At the present time, boxing operates within a four-belt system whereby boxers work their way up through the rankings of the sport's four major sanctioning bodies — the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF — until they can eventually fight for a world title with one of them. UBOs would not replace the current structure of boxing; it would instead create a separate, parallel system that runs alongside it, offering boxers the choice between the traditional sanctioning body model or the UBO model. UBOs would be allowed to run rankings systems, award UBO titles and organize events. In essence, promoters would be able to promote fights for titles and rankings, which they also control — a stark contrast to how the pugilistic art is currently run. The biggest benefactor of these changes is, without a doubt, TKO Boxing. With the bill's passing, TKO Boxing would be allowed to form a UBO of its own and operate a UFC-type "league" model within it. The sport of boxing has long been criticized for having too many belts, making it difficult for fans to be aware of who the best in the division is or what the universal rankings for those divisions actually look like. Furthermore, sanctioning bodies have a clear conflict of interest, as they charge a percentage fee for championship matches and therefore benefit from the most popular fighters being successful within their system, or from extra, unnecessary titles — such as regular, gold, and franchise titles — being created and used on a regular basis. UBOs, however, would not be allowed to charge boxers any fees for placement in the rankings or the right to participate in championship matches. Additionally, the bill sets to enact a national minimum payment for all professional boxers at $150 per round. While this appears insignificant, six states have minimums below $150, and most states have no minimum payments at all. This rule would help prevent up-and-coming fighters from being exploited, as it is common knowledge that fighters on club shows sometimes pay to fight or fight for no money. The legislation, if it passes, would also create a national minimum of $25,000 for coverage for injuries sustained during a fight, higher than current minimums in 43 states. UBO boxers would benefit from additional health and safety protections, including enhanced comprehensive medical exams, more licensed physicians and ambulance units present at each event, and health coverage for injuries sustained during training for a bout. UBOs would have comprehensive anti-doping testing programs and strict anti-betting policies. This legislation is endorsed by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Lonnie Ali, wife of the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
