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Photo by Ingrid Schnader.
Wheelhouse Salon owner Johnny Grimes stands outside of the downtown salon, which was looted during George Floyd protests, on June 3. After getting over the initial shock, he decided to ask an artist to come turn the “ugly plywood” into a mural dedicated to Floyd.
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Photo by Ingrid Schnader.
The mural, located outside of Wheelhouse Salon downtown, is in honor of George Floyd, who was killed while in police custody May 25. Artist Shane B. with Mammoth Murals painted the mural June 2.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Local muralist Shane B. fixes the mural painted on the plywood in front of The Wheelhouse Salon on 3rd Avenue North on June 4 after the mural of George Floyd was defaced the night before.
Homewood resident Johnny Grimes, who is also the owner of Wheelhouse Salon, felt devastated when he realized his downtown salon had been looted during the May 31 George Floyd protests, he said.
But once he boarded up his windows, he decided to cover up the “ugly plywood” with a mural in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“I’m willing to have my windows busted out if the end result is change,” he said.
In addition to owning the Wheelhouse Salon downtown, Grimes and his wife also own the Wheelhouse on Linden Avenue in Homewood. Originally from Bessemer, Grimes has lived in Homewood for the past five years, and he said he feels privileged to live in Homewood.
“However, we must use that privilege in such a way that produces significant change in our society,” he said. “To sit by and not speak up for our black brothers and sisters is to be complicit in the violence.”