87-foot-long mural in Oakland raising awareness for gun violence

An 87-foot-long, bright orange mural in Oakland will be hard to miss.

That’s exactly what Kyle Holbrook — an artist who founded Moving the Lives of Kids Community Mural Project — had in mind when he began painting.

Holbrook, a Wilkinsburg native, is hoping to spark awareness of gun violence through the art installation, which is part of his larger Stop Gun Violence Tour. During the tour, Holbrook will create anti-gun violence murals in all 50 states. So far, the tour has involved stops in 39 states, with murals created from Portland, Ore. to Portland Maine.

“There’s certainly more violence going on everywhere,” Holbrook said. “There’s just an uptick. I see this is happening in all 50 states. It’s an epidemic going on around our country.”

Holbrook has installed murals internationally, with his first anti-gun violence mural painted in Wilkinsburg in 2001.

“The message was as relevant then as it is now,” Holbrook said.

Street art, he said, has become increasingly popular in the 20-plus years he’s been using it as a platform for his gun violence awareness campaign. Social media has helped spread the images, and there has been increased interest in using murals to invoke social justice since the death of George Floyd, he said.

“The power of public art is it’s not like television or the radio where you can turn it off. It’s going to be visible in the community for 20 years and constantly spreading the message. The more people that are aware of the gun violence issue, the more chance we come up with a solution,” he said.

The mural is located in the heart of Oakland, at the corner of South Bouquet and Joncaire streets.

“When you do something right here, so visible, you get so much foot traffic every day, you get constant traffic,” he said, adding that the bright colors and large size make it impossible to ignore. “It draws so much attention to it. You can’t drive by and not see it.”

The mural features Holbrook’s “signature abstract style,” which consists of swirls, dots and geometric shapes and patterns — all of which are outlined in vibrant orange, the official color of gun violence awareness. In bold font, the mural bears the words “Stop gun violence.”

“Throughout civilization — even cavemen — put issues that were important to them on public walls,” Holbrook said.

For Holbrook, the mural has a special meaning. Since he was a teenager, Holbrook has lost dozens of friends to gun violence, including one recently. His art, he said, honors them and works to increase awareness of an issue that has been near to him for years.

“This is where I grew up. This is symbolic of many of the friends I’ve lost,” Holbrook said. “I’m doing this almost as therapy for myself. Hopefully it provides some type of healing for the families of victims, knowing this is done with their loved ones in mind so they won’t be forgotten. It’s important to have a place that’s dedicated to the victims.”