MARLON WEST INK TRIBUTES
AUGUST 13, 2022–FEBRUARY 12, 2023
Marlon West of Disney Animation was content to make photo tableaus of action figures as a silly creative outlet between Zoom meetings and housework during Covid lockdown. That came to a crashing halt with the murder of George Floyd, when he started these comic-book-style tributes. He says, “For many of us Black nerds, Marvel’s characters are particularly relatable. They are often hated and hunted by the powers that be. They are aliens, or born different, or having to deal with harsh cards dealt to them. They are feared, despised, shunned, and misunderstood. There isn't a more American form of portraiture than black ‘inks’ over white, to honor those that faced this nation's fear and loathing of the Black body.”
There is a woman shot in bed, a woman shot while peering from her window investigating strange sounds, and a man shot on his own couch eating ice cream. There’s a runner chased and killed on the street, a child pulled from his bed, beaten, and killed over a supposed insult, and another child crushed under guards for throwing a sandwich. There's a writer and birdwatcher threatened with police action and lied about, a Black officer who put himself in harm's way on January 6, and a white officer murdered by the same white supremacist mob, his death still unsolved. There’s a youngster shot while walking home from buying candy and a talented violinist who was killed by police because he looked “suspicious” for wearing a ski mask to keep warm. There are also defenders of civil and women’s rights.
There is a woman shot in bed, a woman shot while peering from her window investigating strange sounds, and a man shot on his own couch eating ice cream. There’s a runner chased and killed on the street, a child pulled from his bed, beaten, and killed over a supposed insult, and another child crushed under guards for throwing a sandwich. There's a writer and birdwatcher threatened with police action and lied about, a Black officer who put himself in harm's way on January 6, and a white officer murdered by the same white supremacist mob, his death still unsolved. There’s a youngster shot while walking home from buying candy and a talented violinist who was killed by police because he looked “suspicious” for wearing a ski mask to keep warm. There are also defenders of civil and women’s rights.
THIS EXHIBITION WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING SUPPORTERS:
Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
CSUN Impact DesignHub
Museum of Social Justice
Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture
CSUN Impact DesignHub
Museum of Social Justice
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Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney
On June 21, 1964, during the civil rights era, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney were arrested following a traffic stop outside Philadelphia, Mississippi, and held for a number of hours. As they left town, they were followed by law enforcement and others. The three were abducted, driven to another location, and shot to death. Their bodies were buried at an earthen dam. The civil rights workers’ burnt-out car was found near a swamp three days after their disappearance, while the three men’s bodies were not discovered for two months. Outrage over their abduction and murder helped gain passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Philando CastilePhilando Castile was known as a hardworking role model for hundreds of children at his job as a school cafeteria supervisor. On July 6, 2016, he was shot dead by Officer Jeronimo Yanez. The shooting occurred during a traffic stop because Yanez overreacted when Castile informed the officer that he had a licensed firearm that he could legally carry. Yanez kept yelling “Don’t pull it out” while Castile pleaded that he was not reaching for the firearm. The officer began to shoot seven times, killing Castile while a four-year-old watched from the backseat.
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Tamir RiceTwelve-year-old Tamir Rice was killed almost instantly when police arrived at the playground where he played with a toy gun and shot him. In comparison, a white teen, Kyle H. Rittenhouse, was arrested after carrying an AR-15 style rifle and shooting three demonstrators. A Christian fundraising site has raised nearly $270,000 to defend Rittenhouse. Where is justice for Tamir Rice?
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Eric GarnerOn July 17, 2014, New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers approached Eric Garner on suspicion of selling single cigarettes. Garner was killed by Daniel Pantaleo, an NYPD officer, who put him in a prohibited chokehold while arresting him. Video footage of Garner repeatedly pleading, “I can’t breathe,” generated widespread national attention and raised questions about the use of force by law enforcement. Pantaleo was fired on August 19, 2019, more than five years after Garner's death.
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Amadou DialloIn the early hours of February 4, 1999, four New York Police Department plainclothes officers fired 41 shots at 23-year-old Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo outside his New York City apartment. Nineteen bullets struck Diallo, killing him instantly. All the officers were acquitted on charges of second-degree murder. Bruce Springsteen premiered the song “American Skin (41 Shots)” at the end of his band’s 1999–2000 tour. New York City’s Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association called for a boycott of Springsteen’s shows.
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Omar JimenezCNN correspondent Omar Jimenez and his crew were arrested on live TV on May 29, 2020, while covering the aftermath of protests in Minneapolis. While police wearing gas masks stood around him silently, Jimenez said, “We can move back to where you like. We are live on the air here.… Put us back where you want us. We are getting out of your way—wherever you want us (we’ll) get out of your way.” According to U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, there have been over 700 aggressions towards the press since the beginning of Black Lives Matter protests. That includes more than 100 arrests and 170 attacks, 114 by law enforcement.
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Cornelius Frederick
On April 29, 2020, 16-year-old Cornelius Frederick threw a sandwich in the cafeteria of a youth facility center in Kalamazoo, Michigan. At least seven Lakeside Academy staff members pinned and restrained Frederick for more than 10 minutes. The facility’s nurse stood by, offering no aid throughout his ordeal, except to call 911. Two days later, he went into cardiac arrest and died in a local hospital. Kalamazoo prosecutors charged three staff members, including the aforementioned nurse, with involuntary manslaughter.
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John Crawford IIIOn August 5, 2014, John Crawford III, 22, was shot to death by police officer Sean Williams in a Walmart. Crawford was holding a BB gun rifle he found unpackaged for sale on a shelf, in the “open carry” state of Ohio. Surveillance video shows police firing immediately without any verbal commands or giving Crawford any time to drop the BB gun. A grand jury declined to indict the two officers involved. Walmart attorneys would later assert that 911 caller Ronald Ritchie’s lies were “the sole reasons why police came into the store with their guns drawn. Ronald Ritchie intentionally lied to the police.”
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Rayshard BrooksOn June 12, 2020, police responded to a call about a man asleep in his car in line at a Wendy’s drive-through. The man was Rayshard Brooks. Brooks had had too much to drink. He offered to leave his vehicle behind and walk to his sister’s house, which was two blocks away. The police instead began to arrest Brooks. This led to a scuffle between Brooks and the officers, and Brooks grabbed an officer’s Taser and ran away. A police officer shot Brooks from behind, killing him instantly. The officer who shot Brooks was fired, and the police chief stepped down.
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Sandra BlandThree days after being arrested during a “pretextual traffic stop,” Sandra Bland was found hanging in a jail cell in Waller County, Texas, on July 13, 2015. The only charge in her case was that State Trooper Brian Encinia made false statements surrounding Bland’s arrest. In 2016, her mother settled a wrongful death lawsuit against the county jail and police department for $1.9 million and some procedural changes. In June 2017, Encinia was permanently banned from law enforcement as part of a plea agreement, which prosecutors entered into because there was no certainty of obtaining a conviction.
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Botham JeanOn September 6, 2018, Botham Jean, a Harding University alumnus and an accountant, was sitting eating ice cream in his apartment, when his neighbor, Amber Guyger, an off-duty Dallas police officer, entered and shot him. Later, Guyger claimed that she believed it was her apartment and mistook Jean for an intruder in the darkened living room. Guyger was found guilty of murder. During her sentencing, Jean’s younger brother Brandt Jean forgave and hugged Guyger. Trial judge Tammy Kemp, also African American, embraced and handed her a Bible.
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Nina PopOn May 3, 2020, transgender woman Nina Pop was stabbed to death in the town of Sikeston, in West’s home state of Missouri. Pop’s body was found in her apartment. She was one of 12 violent deaths of transgender or gender-nonconforming people that year in the US.
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Michael Brown Jr.Eighteen-year-old Michael Brown Jr. and a friend were walking in the middle of Canfield Drive in the city of Ferguson, Missouri, when a white police officer told them to use the sidewalk. Words were exchanged, and the situation escalated to scuffling. Unarmed, Brown was shot and killed. His bloodied body remained in the street for four hours. Months of protests followed, and his killing became a central rallying point for the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Elijah McClainOn August 24, 2019, in Aurora, Colorado, police confronted Elijah McClain after receiving a 911 call about a “suspicious person” wearing a ski mask and waving their arms. McClain routinely wore a mask outside because he had anemia—a blood condition—and became cold easily. The confrontation escalated quickly, which led to McClain being placed in a chokehold by police. “I can’t breathe. I have my ID right here. My name is Elijah McClain. That’s my house,” were among his unheeded pleas. McClain went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and was taken off life support on August 30. His family said that he was brain-dead and covered in bruises at the time. The restraint technique used on McClain is now illegal in Aurora.
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Sean BellWhile Sean Bell and his friends were leaving his bachelor party, five New York Police Department undercover officers fired 50 shots into their car. Bell was struck six times. Trent Benefield and Joseph Guzman were severely wounded and were cuffed to their hospital beds. None of them had a weapon. Three detectives involved in the shooting went to trial; they were not found guilty of all charges. Bell would have been 37 years old this year.
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Atatiana JeffersonIn Fort Worth, Texas, on October 12, 2019, Atatiana Jefferson and her nephew were playing video games when they heard noises. Jefferson grabbed her gun to investigate. A neighbor called a non-emergency number, stating that Jefferson’s front door was open. Police body camera footage showed that when Jefferson came to her window to observe police outside her home, officer Aaron Dean shot through it and killed her. Dean resigned and was arrested on a murder charge. On December 20, 2019, he was indicted for murder.
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Rayshard BrooksOn June 12, 2020, police responded to a call about a man asleep in his car in line at a Wendy’s drive-through. The man was Rayshard Brooks. Brooks had had too much to drink. He offered to leave his vehicle behind and walk to his sister’s house, which was two blocks away. The police instead began to arrest Brooks. This led to a scuffle between Brooks and the officers, and Brooks grabbed an officer’s Taser and ran away. A police officer shot Brooks from behind, killing him instantly. The officer who shot Brooks was fired, and the police chief stepped down.
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Andrew Brown Jr. Andrew Brown Jr. was shot to death by a squad of police officers while they were serving drug-related search and arrest warrants. An eyewitness said Brown tried to drive away but was shot dead in his car. Before the bodycam footage was released to the public, the video was interpreted as if Brown used the car as a deadly weapon to hurt police officers purposely. Once the footage was released, many believed that Brown tried to drive away from the police rather than deliberately injure them. No officers were injured, and they were not charged. Although many debate whether the killing was justified, it shows the need for complete transparency for the public after deadly encounters.
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Vanessa Guillén Vanessa Guillén was an active military soldier stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. She was reported missing on April 22, 2020. Two months later, Guillén was discovered dismembered and buried near the Leon River. She had been bludgeoned to death by Aaron David Robinson, a soldier who was also stationed at Fort Hood. After the murder, Robinson was assisted by his girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, in dismembering and burying Guillén’s body. Robinson would, unfortunately, escape justice, as he was found dead by suicide. As for Aguilar, she was indicted on 11 counts by a federal grand jury. Vanessa Guillén’s tragic story will live on as a reminder for military reform to prevent this injustice from happening again, and to help keep women of color who serve our country safe within military bases.
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Kamala HarrisMarlon West writes, “Nearly all the ‘ink’ tributes I’ve done during the Covid lockdown have been devoted to the slain or departed icons. This drawing, though, was done in January of 2021 of someone very much alive: the first woman, first Black, and first Asian-American US vice president, Kamala Harris.
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Ruth Bader GinsburgThis portrait is a modest tribute to a real-life defender of justice who passed away on September 18, 2020. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American lawyer and jurist who faced adversity before being appointed a Supreme Court justice. She successfully fought against gender discrimination and unified the liberal block of the Court.
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Rev. C. T. Vivian and John LewisRev. C. T. Vivian and Rep. John Lewis were arrested as Freedom Riders on May 24, 1961. They died within hours of each other on July 17, 2020. True heroes.
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Chadwick BosemanThis drawing was made in the days following the death of actor Chadwick Boseman on August 29, 2020. West believes actor and activist Ossie Davis’s lasting words eulogizing Malcolm X are fitting for Boseman: “And we will know him then for what he was and is—a prince—our own black shining prince!”
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Brian SicknickThe insurrection on January 6, 2021, resulted in one of the worst single days of injuries for law enforcement in the United States since the terrorist attacks on September 11. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died from injuries sustained in hand-to-hand combat and from the use of blunt object weapons. Two other officers involved in the response died by suicide. One hundred forty sustained injuries ranging from bruises and lacerations to concussions, rib fractures, burns, and a heart attack. At least 38 Capitol Police officers were exposed to or tested positive for the coronavirus. Clearly, #bluelivesmatter only when they aren’t standing in the way of white supremacy.
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Eugene GoodmanOn January 6, 2021, Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman led a mob of angry Trump supporters away from the Senate chamber, taking the group in the opposite direction at a crucial moment when the lawmakers were not yet safely locked down. A group of insurgents beat other officers with batons and American flags, and murdered another with a fire extinguisher. Goodman is a hero by any measure.
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John LewisDr. Martin Luther King Jr. first called John Lewis “the boy from Troy.” This drawing is based on John Lewis’s mugshot from February 20, 1961, and Gary Williams Jr.’s portrait of him at Black Lives Matter Plaza on June 6, 2020.
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Gloria Richardson DandridgeGloria Richardson Dandridge was the first woman in the country to lead a grassroots civil rights organization outside the Deep South. She helped found – and lead—the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee (CNAC) during a period of civil unrest more than 50 years ago caused by racism and lingering segregationist practices. And her famous bayonet-smacking side-eye still resonates today.
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Emmett TillA Black boy who was abducted, tortured, and lynched after being accused of offending a white woman.
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Tony McDadeA 38-year-old Black trans man, Tony McDade was shot and killed by police in Tallahassee, Florida, two days after the murder of George Floyd. McDade was the 12th transgender or non-conforming person to be fatally shot or killed in the US during 2020 alone.
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Caron NazarioA Black Army officer who was pepper sprayed for a minor traffic infraction.
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Christian CooperAn African American birdwatcher who recorded a racial confrontation in which a white woman called 911 and claimed he was threatening her.
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George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbury
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George Floyd—Killed by police over a counterfeit $20 bill.
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Brianna Taylor—Killed in her own apartment by police.
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Ahmaud Arbury—Killed by three white men for jogging while Black near his house
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COMIC BOOK GUIDE
These comic books were gathered to add another layer to "Ink Tributes." Marlon West created these portraits to “raise these people to the status of heroes.” In the exhibition's spirit, these comics were chosen to bring exposure to Black and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) heroes. A few of these highlight social issues Black people deal with regularly; others are BIPOC heroes dealing with their struggles.
- Black Panther and the Crew: We are the Streets (Rated: Teen): Black Panther, Storm, Luke Cage, Misty Knight and Manifold band together to take on a dangerous wave of street-level threats in a new series by co-writers Ta-Nehisi Coates (New York Times best-selling author of Between the World and Me and Marvel's Black Panther) and Yona Harvey (Black Panther: World of Wakanda), and legendary artist Butch Guice! The death of a Harlem activist kicks off a mystery that will reveal surprising new secrets about the Marvel Universe's past - and set the stage for a huge story in the near future! Fear, hate and violence loom, but don't worry, The Crew's got this: They are the streets.
- Nubia: Real One (Rated: Teen): Nubia has always been a little bit...different. As a baby she showcased Amazonian-like strength by pushing over a tree to rescue her neighbor's cat. But despite her having similar abilities, the world has no problem telling her that she's no Wonder Woman. And even if she were, they wouldn't want her. Every time she comes to the rescue, she's reminded of how people see her: as a threat. Her moms do their best to keep her safe, but Nubia can't deny the fire within her, even if she's a little awkward about it sometimes. Even if it means people assume the worst. When Nubia's best friend, Quisha, is threatened by a boy who thinks he owns the town, Nubia will risk it all--her safety, her home, and her crush on that cute kid in English class--to become the hero society tells her she isn't.
- Naomi Season 1 (Rated:Teen): A local teenager named Naomi starts looking into what happened the last time a super-being visited her hometown--and how that visit might tie into her own origins as an adopted child. But Naomi's seemingly harmless curiosity exposes more than just her family's startling secrets--it attracts the attention of forces that could threaten the Earth itself! Learning the truth about her heritage will turn Naomi's life upside down. Can she learn to control her uncanny new abilities and come to terms with her strange new place in the world before it's too late?
- March: Book One (Rated:Teen): March is a vivid first-hand account of John Lewis' lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, meditating in the modern age on the distance traveled since the days of Jim Crow and segregation. Rooted in Lewis' personal story, it also reflects on the highs and lows of the broader civil rights movement. Book One spans John Lewis' youth in rural Alabama, his life-changing meeting with Martin Luther King, Jr., the birth of the Nashville Student Movement, and their battle to tear down segregation through nonviolent lunch counter sit-ins, building to a stunning climax on the steps of City Hall.
- Miles Morales: Shock Waves (Rated: Grades 3-7): Miles Morales is a normal kid who happens to juggle school at Brooklyn Visions Academy while swinging through the streets of Brooklyn as Spider-Man. After a disastrous earthquake strikes his mother's birthplace of Puerto Rico, Miles springs into action to help set up a fundraiser for the devastated island. But when a new student's father goes missing, Miles begins to make connections between the disappearance and a giant corporation sponsoring Miles' fundraiser. Who is behind the disappearance, and how does that relate to Spider-Man?A true middle grade graphic novel starring one of Marvel's most popular characters, bestselling author Justin A. Reynolds (Opposite of Always) and Eisner award-nominated artist Pablo Leon (Refugees) create a riveting story that will connect with new and well-versed comics readers alike.
- Green Lanterns: Vol.1 Rage Planet (Rebirth) (Rated:12+): Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are the latest recruits to the Green Lantern Corps. They’ve proven themselves capable of overcoming great fear alongside the Corps and the Justice League alike. Now Hal Jordan himself has assigned them the task of protecting the planet. But they’re still new to the job, with very little experience and a whole lot to prove. That makes them the perfect targets.
One of the Green Lanterns’ greatest enemies has returned, and he has the Earth in his sights. He is Atrocitus, the tyrannical leader of the Red Lanterns, and he means to infect the entire planet with his murderous red rage. Can Jessica and Simon overcome their differences and wield the Green Lantern’s light like true partners? Or will these rookies’ rage help the Red Lanterns extinguish that light for good? - Blue Beetle:Vol. 2: Hard Choice (Rebirth) (Rated: Teen): Jaime Reyes is more than your average high schooler. When he’s not awkwardly talking to girls and taking tests, he happens to be a superhero. With the powers granted to him by his bond with the mysterious Scarab, Jaime takes on evil as the legendary crime-fighter known as Blue Beetle! But that all changes when an ancient evil has come to Jaime’s home city of El Paso to take possession of the Scarab...and use it to turn the world into a deadly hellscape! Now, without his powers, Jaime has to leave saving the world up to his more powerful friends, like Doctor Fate, OMAC and even his mentor, Ted Kord. Will Jaime be able to step up and become the hero he’s meant to be, even without his powers?
- Tuskegee Heirs (Rated:12+): A futuristic sci-fi action-adventure comic book series set at the end of the 21st century. The story follows a squadron of young, gifted aviators who are forced to become Earth’s most robust line of defense against a menacing race of artificially intelligent villains bent on destroying civilization.
- Living Heroes (Rated: 16+): Living Heroes is a fancomic that blends the '90s sitcom Living Single and some of my favorite Marvel characters. Misty Knight, Storm, Monica Rambeau, She-Hulk, Sam Wilson, Wyatt Wingfoot, and special guests are just trying to get by in a superhero kind of world.