After the Storm — 7.0 — River District, Eugene, Oregon, USA
“But your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore/They’re already over crowded from your dirty little war/Jesus don’t like kill’in/No matter what the reason for/And your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore..”
Not long ago I met a young woman artist from Nebraska. She is the friend of a friend and all those superlative adjectives apply. Here’s a few: blond, beautiful, intelligent, light-filled, energized, super-talented, sweet, powerful, self assured, engaging, accomplished, dedicated, soulful, independent, self-actualized, smiling, vibrant, sexy with do-gooderlyness.
Her name is Lukasiewicz. That alone, just the name, would make me fall in love with her if I were so inclined.
She came to Eugene to visit her sister. It was a slow time, I think. Summer when things slow down here. Her sister was staying at a place in my neighborhood. The place had a long cedar fence stretched out next to a bus stop on a very busy street. The fence had become some sort of a blank page for graffiti. Not the very very nasty kind, but bad enough to be ugly. The landowner didn’t know exactly what to do about this. Lukasiewicz had a solution.
She designed and painted a mural. She painted the words. “Love is a Choice” I actually helped her paint it. So did many others, some neighbors, some not. It became a lovely, iconic symbol of North Eugene. Beautiful in all of its aspects, from ideation to execution. And incredibly, it withstood the test of time. It was never tagged. An amazing and wonderful ode to love that no one touched. Peace and kindness, goodness and light.
You can already see the clouds on the horizon of this story can’t you?
This election year, my good friend, who owns the fence, put up a sign on the side street next to the mural. It was hand painted and also lovely. It said: “Biden and Harris” with a little red, white and blue swish in the background. A week or so before the election my friend added an American flag on a short pole behind the sign.
I noticed the flag when I got back to Eugene on November 1st. I immediately texted my friend and told her how much I loved seeing the flag and the sign. I am totally encouraged when my progressive friends take back the symbol of our country (the American flag) from the dark place where it sometimes resides. (For instance the back of big pick up trucks roaring along belching diesel fumes into the good air we all have to breathe.)
I completely support everyone in their right to freedom of speech and display however much I disagree with their political viewpoint. But it’s MY flag too. And to me it symbolizes goodness and freedom and the struggle for non-violent change, progress, and the betterment of the human condition. For everyone, not just Americans. For all humans. That is what it means to me.
Anyway, a few nights before the Democrats won the election (fairly and by a goodly margin) a gang of hooligans defaced the Biden/Harris sign and also the Love is a Choice mural. I am sure they were drinking heavily and laughing while they did it. I’m sure they thought it would make a huge and powerful statement.
It was a sad morning, the day after. I was glad to not be there to witness it. But soon I heard about what happened.
This is what happened: A group of neighbors and other volunteers were out there that morning. Before noon they scrubbed off the graffiti and restored the mural. Their selfless act It was a clear statement to the world. It said:
Love is a Choice.
Please feel free to draw you own conclusion. There are tears in my eyes as I write this.
Like
Comment
Share
Comments
Write a comment…
