'Justice For Our Lives' is a digital portrait series of 100 people killed by US law enforcement since the beginning of the 21st century. It tells the story of state sponsored violence targeting communities of color and other marginalized victims. The digital graphics are open source and made available for free download at oreeoriginol.art/justiceforourlives offering protest art as an accessible tool to gain visibility and justice for the victims and their families through community engagement.

The inception of Black Lives Matter as a social movement to end white supremacy and violence on the black community inspired this body of work to stand in solidarity. While it centers black lives, it also connects the struggle of other demographics enduring generations of systemic racism and violence that often times does not receive a national spotlight. Native Americans are identical to Black Americans with the highest rates of fatal police encounters per their population size followed by the "Latino" population. Undocumented migrants crossing the US southern border and those held in detention centers continue to be killed by Border Patrol and ICE with impunity. About a third of all fatal police encounters claim a victim with some form of mental illness while homelessness and gender are also contributing factors. Through 100 portraits, 'Justice For Our Lives' illustrates the range of systemic racism and corruption within law enforcement and the criminal justice system that enables state sponsored terror on marginalized communities that has plagued the United States for centuries.

The black and white portraits are created on Adobe Illustrator by tracing the original photographs with minimal bold outlines using the pen tool. As an open source art project, the digital images are offered for free download at oree.art/justiceforourlives and collaboration is encouraged in various forms like incorporating into digital content to share on social media or reproducing the designs into banners, clothing, and posters to display in public spaces. The primary method of showcasing this project involves digital printing on letter size paper making this process available for anyone with access to an office printer. The street art component uses wheat paste to attach the prints on public surfaces to amplify visibility for this cause. Wheat paste is the combination of wheat flour, sugar, and water that is boiled to create a thick paste that adheres paper to any surface.

This project serves as a creative outlet and informational resource that humanizes victims of police violence to empower their family members and relatives who are fighting for justice. As an open source project, 'Justice For Our Lives' exists as an accessible tool in the public domain to promote community engagement and amplify awareness that combats narratives from corporate news media outlets. It is a record of a moment within a movement that calls for action against local and federal government to address "crime" and safety in our neighborhoods which continues to be unsolved. The call for justice is loud and bold in holding law enforcement accountable for killing people in our community.

-Oree Originol