As Santa Ana painter Matt Southgate scoured Internet coverage of Kelly Thomas' death late last night, he had somewhat of an epiphany and decided to take action.
“The Orange Juice blog had the video of the passengers that got on the bus and they seemed to be pretty honest about what they witnessed,” Southgate says. “And, the picture of his face, on the OCWeekly blog, too. It was that picture and the video of the passengers on the bus that kind of did it for me.”
So, Southgate turned to the medium he knows best: art.
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“I was working on a backdrop, but I didn't know what I was gonna do and it occurred to me in the middle of the night, 'Why don't I dedicate that to what happened to Kelly Thomas?'”
So, Southgate sent an email to several of his artist friends, inviting them to help create an artistic altar in Thomas' honor. “They get excited about doing projects like this,” he says.
Although they haven't made any concrete plans yet, the group of artists plans to convene at the Santora building tonight and start planning and creating.
Southgate says his family has a long-standing tradition of creating Día de Los Muertos altars, so he says he may use that past experience as an inspiration. Unlike many of the Día de Los Muertos altars, however, the one for Thomas won't have the same light-hearted, comical feel.
The Weekly's previous coverage of Thomas' death:
- Calls for Resignation, Recall in Fullerton over Kelly Thomas Beating
- Kelly's Heroes: Fullerton police savagely killed Kelly Thomas and businessman/blogger Tony Bushala isn't letting anyone forget
- “Justice for Kelly” Chanted at Vigil for Fullerton Police Brutality Victim
- Hundreds Protest Fullerton Police Brutality After Disgraceful Kelly Thomas Killing
- Protest Fullerton Police Brutality Today: Victim's Vigil Tonight
- Fullerton Cops Involved in Death of Kelly Thomas Back On Duty
- Kelly Thomas' Officer-Involved Death Was Videotaped; Councilman Calls for Release to Public
- Kelly Thomas' Retired-Deputy Father Blasts Fullerton Police for 'Killing My Son'
