‘I Will Breathe’ Street Mural Appears In Philadelphia

"I WILL BREATHE, ” it reads.

It is painted in bright yellow and was created by around 20 volunteers who worked from 8:30 p.m. until 11 on Friday night, organizers told Billy Penn.

Activist group of the same name was founded by Nasir Bell, a 22-year-old Philly resident, after he was arrested while participating in a Black Lives Matter protest in June, according to WHYY.

“Screaming ‘I can’t breathe’ keeps us stuck in the systems that have perpetuated our struggles,” Bell said. “So instead we say confidently ‘I will breathe,’ to show we will stand up. We will fight for better. We will uplift our communities and breathe on.”

The group’s mission is to change the narrative behind ”I can't breathe.” The slogan is used as an anti-police brutality statement.

City officials were not notified of the mural but will be left to fade naturally. Street murals have been common across the nation in support of the BLM movement. There is one outside of the White House and Fishtown’s District Police headquarters.

The location was strategically chosen because people are living at the large tent encampment on the lawn next to the mural, who have been having disagreements with the city.

Bell stated that the camp is directly connected to the group’s mission “because they are a widely marginalized, misunderstood and misrepresented group of people.”

His organization has lead two protests through the camp in the past week, he said, and the ”I Will Breathe” Facebook group has over 300 members.

“It’s bigger than all of us,” Bell said. “Together we can make America great — not again, but for the first time.