Artists Create Mural in El Paso as Message for Community
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EL PASO – Efforts underway to lift spirits in El Paso after the tragedy.
We've been seeing a lot of vigils and witnessed singing and embracing at the makeshift memorial.
Today we were driving around town and saw a different expression of the city's resilience.
"He called and me said, 'alright, bro. You know what happened with the craziness and all.' 'yea.'", says Gabe Real, who is a tattoo and graffiti artist.
Justin is a business owner and contributed to the mural.
"I don't know. It was just a bad situation to be in for our city. So, I was just thinking there's a lot of traffic in this spot. So, I thought it's the perfect message for the people. Let them know we're here. We stand together."
"He said, 'check this billboard out.' And he sent it to me, an 'El Paso Strong' billboard. And he said, 'yo, let's just paint that. Orange and white. It's easy, real quick.' And I said, 'you know what, bro? It's in a great, great spot. So, let's do these letters legibly, real nice, and I'll put the El Paso scene inside of it.' The famous El Paso picture", adds Real.
"Up in a corner I'm going to paint a rose inside a triangle. Because you take roses to a funeral. This is the rose I brought."
"A lot of people they talk bad about El Paso, like it's a dead-end city where all you do is become an alcoholic and have babies and get a dead-end job. But, guys like us have found a way to establish an environment to grow in. I just hope that people can start seeing El Paso through that lens."
"It is what you make it. You get out of it what you put into it. And you know what I put into it? My whole heart. That's what this is what I do."
The two are part of a social club.
Gabe Real was hurt recently in a motorcycle accident.
He is still healing, but believes this mural was important to paint as soon as they could.
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