Various
Marcus David-Peters Circle Sign, 2020
This graffitied sign, which appeared in August of 2020 after the previous sign was stolen by white supremacists, designates the area around Richmond’s Robert E. Lee Monument as Marcus David- Peters Circle, named for a Black Richmonder killed by police in 2018. In contrast to the previous sign, which was modeled after mid-century tourism signs, this new sign is in a graffiti style, with jaunty block lettering and bright colors spelling out “MDPC: Marcus David Peters Circle.” This style both mirrors the graffiti which covers the monument in the circle and reflects the communal frustration of Richmond in the face of systemic racism and police brutality. Additionally, its illegality (as neither it nor the Circle was approved by the state) embodies specific action taken by the community against the oppressive Richmond government. The sign is also making a profoundly ecological statement; it is placed directly in the middle of the impromptu community garden in the Circle, indicating that the unity and solidarity within Richmond must necessarily address the role that ecological factors play in systemic racism. Label by Maxwell Cloe