By Thalia Kattoura | Writer
It has been two years and six months since the August 4 explosion that shook the capital city. The investigation has remained stagnant since motivated by the willingness of the ruling class to cover up their complicity in the crime. Citizens refuse to have the memory of that day erased, at least until the investigation is done justly under an independent judiciary system. In their efforts to assert the persistence of the case, photos of the victims were scattered all over the city, and hand-drawn portraits were installed by artist Brady Black on the 9-month anniversary of the blast.
The hand-drawn portraits of the Beirut port victims were removed from one of the walls in central Beirut. The news echoed through the Lebanese community. Anger erupted on social media, with citizens expressing their resentment for the current state of affairs. Brady Black himself expressed his sorrow over the news: “Hard to find words for the faces of Beirut Blast victims being power-washed off. Seems like this right here is the performance art. This is the truth right here.”
This is not the first time that the portraits were taken down; in June of 2022, the advertisements of the same company District S were found in the place of the portraits. The news was accompanied distraught by families of the Beirut port victims, causing the company to remove their advertisements. Sarah Copland, the mother of Isaac Oehlers (one of the Beirut blast victims), expressed her anger: “I sobbed when I saw this. At the inhumanity of the company and the kindness of those always looking out for my son.”
In essence, the emphasis is on the metaphorical meaning behind the erasure of these pictures. The time and place in which it happened are representative of the situation today. People on the streets continue to protest for justice in a case that has been ongoing for years while others hold erasers and wipe them away. The arrest of William Noun, the stand with Judge Tarek Bitar, and the internal collapse of the sociopolitical state in Lebanon showcase the people’s urgency in going through with the investigation.
The resilience of the Lebanese citizens will not be silenced. Justice will be served. Regardless of the countless attempts to leave no trace of the crime.