Mary Lou Dauray is a multi-talented artist, writer and environmental advocate who uses her art, writing and numerous humanitarian activities to raise awareness about the need for positive change. She is proficient in a variety of mediums that include watercolor, graphite, oil, and acrylic, and frequently uses her iPad to create sketches. She is a member of The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS. You can view her art here. She has also written several articles on this website about climate change, environmental artists and eco-art.
She states, “My art reflects my creative response to both travel experiences and current global events. Although I have been painting for many years, my work expresses a deep concern about global warming, climate change and pollution as well as anxiety about world-wide inequality and injustice.” She sent us this urgent article and w are delighted to share it with you. Also visit her website and blog.
The Flag, The Church and The Military
By Mary Lou Dauray
What is so significant about July 1, 2020? It is the one-month anniversary of the brutal disruption in Washington, DC of a peaceful protest regarding the killing of George Floyd. It is thirty days after a show of force where the world saw tear gassing, officers on horseback, helmeted Park Rangers, and heavily armed police, attacking the protesters so that President Trump could walk to the front of St. John’s Church to pose for cameras, holding a Bible aloft.
A few hours later, in an apparent attempt to intimidate, two Army National Guard helicopters hovered over the protesters — one as low as 45 feet. From the Washington Post: “The helicopter maneuvers — were a surreal coda to a day of demonstrations in Washington… which moves stunned human rights groups, military law experts and former pilots, who described them as a show of force more commonly used to disperse civilians in war zones.” From The New York Times: “Army leaders told the pilots to ‘flood the box with everything we have.’” At the same time from Rep. Adam Smith: “It is un-American to use our service members to ‘dominate’ civilians, as both the President and Secretary of Defense have suggested. We live in a democracy, not a dictatorship.”
Here is a link that appeared on June 23rd in the Washington Post about those helicopters. Yes, they were scary and deeply intrusive and frightening.
I am incensed at this show of intimidation and force. My concern led me to create a painting entailed: “The Flag, the Church, and the Military”. The painting’s inspiration comes from a photograph I took on March 9 of this year from my hotel room window that looked directly onto St. John’s Church, the Church of Presidents. The Church is central to the area where the protesting occurred. Little did I know that that site would soon be in the middle of an attack. The honor of the Church of the Presidents was sullied on that day of June 1.
I feel fortunate in that I can use my artist’s voice to express my feelings of outrage regarding terrorization of peaceful protesting. As I worked on the painting, I continually despaired while thinking about the pain, poverty, discrimination, suffering and illness that so many people are now handling in this country.
Please do everything in your power to vote away the entirety of this administration. Even recently on Friday, June 26, in the midst of death and spiraling up of COVID, Trump and team are asking the Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act that would wipe out coverage for as many as 23 million Americans.
Stay safe — and use your voice to protest in whatever way suits you. Do not stay silent.
View Mary Lou Dauray’s art on this website.
Visit her website and blog.
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