RAMONA, Calif. (KGTV) — An artist in Ramona is planning a trip to Memphis, Tennessee, in the upcoming weeks to use his talents to honor Tyre Nichols.
"I just want to put something beautiful out there for the people to hopefully heal and move forward," said Lourans Mikhail, a Marine Corps veteran who has been painting murals for roughly five years.
Mikhail says it was "emotional" when he learned about Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old man who died in Memphis after police beat him.
"I’ve never done a memorial mural," said Mikhail.
Mikhail says he already has one building available for a mural in Memphis, and a skatepark where Nichols used to skate.
"I want to try to make it where, I feel like I can actually capture his spirit and his essence, you know? Like the photography, the skateboarding," said Mikhail.
Mikhail says his passion with art lies in addressing social justice issues with his murals.
"Coming form a graffiti background, public art should speak about what’s going on in our times," said Mikhail.
The effort is being organized in-part by Paint Memphis is a 501(C)3 organization,
Mikhail does not have a date set yet to travel to Tennessee.
