Poder in Action plans Phoenix murals honoring 6 people killed by police
Poder in Action is looking for businesses and homes in Phoenix and Glendale that would have wall space for murals honoring people who were killed by police.
Poder in Action, a 501(c)(3) organization, is dedicated to empowering people of color by fostering leadership and encouraging civic participation. The group is in the process of developing plans for its Family Justice Mural Project, which aims to commemorate eight individuals who lost their lives in police-related incidents and have a local artist paint murals in their honor.
Eduardo Pym, communications strategist with Poder, said the idea behind the project is to honor victims of police violence by humanizing and immortalizing them with permanent portraits.
“It’s easy to see victims of police violence as suspects or criminals, but these were someone’s brother, someone’s son or father, and we like to focus on that,” Pym said.
The project also aims to highlight violence within the Phoenix Police Department, Pym said.
“We want to shed light on the Phoenix Police Department, specifically because over the years they have gained the title of 'Deadliest Police Force' in the nation," Pym said.
According to the organization "Mapping Police Violence," which collects data for police-related violence, statistics concluded that out of the 10 most-populated cities in 2022, the Phoenix Police Department ranked number one for the use of deadly force.
"We want to push back on that and expose the violence within this department, especially the disproportionate violence against Black and brown people," Pym said.
The organization has programs and projects, like the Family Justice Collective, that center around those most impacted by systemic oppression.
Investigation of Phoenix police by US Department of Justice
The Phoenix Police Department has been under a U.S. Justice Department investigation since 2021 with a special focus on stops, searches, arrests and use of force.
Phoenix spokesperson Ryan Cody said at an investigation update on Aug. 23 that the city provided more than 20,000 hours of body camera footage and more than 8,000 documents to the Department of Justice.
Michael Sullivan, interim police chief, said the Phoenix Police Department has already made changes in how it trains officers to respond to force since the investigation began.
“Over the last two years, we have rewritten our use of force policy with not just input from the community but also the Department of Justice,” Sullivan said.
However, Zarinah Tavares, a member of the Family Justice Collective, has gone over policy changes with city officials and said she believes the problem is that the Police Department is not holding officers accountable.
“While some changes have been implemented, very little accountability has occurred, which is evident in the increased number of individuals being killed this year,” Tavares said.
In 2023, there have been 11 officer-related deaths in Phoenix, which is more than in 2022 and 2021, according to the Phoenix police transparency dashboard.
Mural would honor Muhammad Muhaymin Jr., others
Tavares’ brother Muhammad Muhaymin Jr. is one of the victims who will be honored in the murals.
Muhaymin was killed by police in 2017 while he was taking his dog to the bathroom at a community center. The police were called to the scene and discovered that he had a warrant. During the attempt to detain him, four officers used their knees to restrain him, applying pressure to his neck and head. He was last heard saying, "I can't breathe," before dying at the age of 43.
Tavares said her brother was a unique and remarkable individual who had a profound impact on the people around him.
She said a mural featuring Muhaymin would remind the community that police violence is still happening at an alarming rate.
“Change starts with our community first realizing that there is a problem, and the police are killing individuals without a cause, frequently," she said.
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Tavares said she hopes the mural will honor her brother and help end the stigma surrounding victims of police violence.
“Having a mural of my brother won’t fix the fact he was taken from us in a heinous way. It will serve as a realistic representation of the beautiful person he was," she said.
"The murals would give victims' families a place they could go to see their loved ones," Tavares said. “Collectively, these murals tell other families they are not alone, and they have a community of individuals who will help them through the red tape and mental anguish."
What to know about Poder in Action's mural project
Poder in Action said the murals will serve as a symbol of solidarity within the community and plans to have the project done by the end of 2023, according to Pym.
The organization is looking for five walls to honor Muhaymin as well as Francisco Valdez, Alejandro Hernandez, James Garcia, Emilio Chamizo, Ryan Whitaker, Dylan Liberti and Juan Boroquez, all of whom were killed in officer-related incidents.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Poder in Action plans Phoenix murals honoring people killed by police
