Protesters have been hitting the streets of Los Angeles hard over the weekend, and although there have been instances of violence, looting, mayhem, destruction, and lots of graffiti defacing any available surface, it appears that no harm has come to the many murals of Kobe Bryant that adorn the city. We know because his widow, Vanessa Bryant, shared her gratitude to the people via Instagram stories. She shared image after image of untouched murals featuring her late husband Kobe and their late daughter Gianna, who both died in a helicopter crash on January 26.
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It’s really touching to see the images that Vanessa shared because it’s clear that the murals are being treated with respect because of their subject matter. Protesters have been defying imposed curfews and hitting the streets to express their outrage over the killing of George Floyd, a black man, by former police officer Derek Chauvin in Minnesota. While there are those who would like to portray all the protesters as a mindless mob, looting and destroying everything in their path, the fact that murals of Kobe and Gianna have been left untouched is proof that the outrage is real and not mindless.
Vanessa started her series of posts with a clip from a news segment.
This first few posts that Vanessa shared on her Instagram Stories were clips of a news reporter in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles explaining that firefighters were on the scene working to put out a fire that was engulfing a building. Then, that same reporter shared how a mural of Kobe and Gianna in the neighborhood had been left untouched. As the fire continued to burn, the images of Kobe and Gianna smiled through it all.
Vanessa also shared someone else's post to her stories.
Instagram user @kobemural posted this image of Sorella LA, a black-owned boutique, that has a beautiful mural of Kobe on one side. As you can see, both the mural and the business, which had been boarded up and marked as black-owned, were spared any damage or graffiti. The scene there looks rather peaceful in this picture.
Can you make out Kobe in this picture?
The next mural that Vanessa shared features Kobe carrying Gianna on his shoulders. It's easy to see Gianna from this angle, but Kobe is blocked by the parking meter. Still, we know it's him and from Vanessa's caption, you can tell she's grateful the mural wasn't harmed in any way.
The next "untouched" mural that Vanessa shared is of Kobe all by himself.
This sort of cubist rendition of Kobe playing basketball continues to stand tall. Kobe is seen wearing the gold and purple colors of the LA Lakers. Again, this mural does not appear to have sustained any damage from protesters, and neither does the building that it is on. Perhaps Kobe is acting as a sort of protector to the building.
This sweet mural features Natalia Bryant.
Natalia is Vanessa and Kobe's eldest daughter. Kobe was always proud of being a father to daughters and we're so happy to see that so far this mural of him with Natalia remains. We can't even begin to imagine how hard it has been for Natalia to lose both her father and sister at the same time.
Kobe and Gigi look skyward in this mural.
Gianna was called Gigi by many close to her. Vanessa surrounded "Kobe and Gigi" with hearts in this post. It hasn't been long since they died, and Vanessa must still be feeling the loss and grief so strongly. That she would take the time to share anything with the public is so touching.
Such undeniable love between these two.
This mural perfectly captures the love between this father and daughter. It's truly beautiful to behold. Also, notice how the parking lot ground is covered in spray paint, but none of that made its way to Kobe or Gianna. They are surrounded by it, but untouched by it.
Vanessa's two angels only have eyes for each other in this mural.
Nothing to see here except a beautiful mural capturing the love of a father and daughter who made their way to heaven far sooner than anyone would have liked. If only we would all use this as a reminder not to squander the time we have because nothing is every guaranteed.
Vanessa added to this mural.
The actual mural does not have the "I love you" writing featured in this post. Vanessa added them as GIFs herself. Her way of saying, "I love you," to these two souls she misses so much. Hopefully, seeing how much other people care about them too brings her some relief.
They were both passionate and talented.
Yes, Kobe is a basketball legend and it's sad that he's gone. What's even sadder is that Gianna was well on her way to becoming a basketball superstar herself, but never got the chance to fulfill her potential. She loved the game so much and died on her way to play in a game that her father was going to be coaching.
They have the kind of smiles that light up a city.
When Vanessa shared all these images of the pristine murals of Kobe and her daughter, she must have felt overwhelmed with love. Not only the love that she feels for her lost husband and daughter, but also love for a city that even in the middle of so much anger showed that the love for these two is strong.
A salute to love.
Vanessa captioned this image "L.A. love" with two heart emojis on both sides. Kobe stands and salutes and Gianna is pictured below with a basketball in her hands. They both look hopeful and ready to engage. It makes us wonder what they would make of what has happened in the world since they've been gone.
Their love was so apparent.
Look at any picture you come across of Gianna and Kobe and their love is palpable. This two were destined to be in each other's lives. This mural shows them standing side by side and reads: "THIS IS LOVE." And all we can think is, "Yes, yes, it is."
A legend and his daughter live on in art and hearts.
Yet another Kobe and Gianna mural that remains untouched. It covers the entire side of a building and looks as if it was just painted. You wouldn't know by looking at it that it's in a city that is experiencing so much unrest. You wouldn't know by looking at it that other walls have been marked by the anger of people who are tired of seeing injustice.
Yes, these murals deserve to be respected.
It is a beautiful thing that these murals have been shown the respect that they deserve. It's great and hopefully they will continue to be treated with respect. If only we could get the institutions of this country to treat black people with the respect that protesters have shown these murals.
