Hostage Mural to Be Unveiled Next Week

A new mural will be unveiled next week (July 20th to be exact) in Georgetown. It will be the work of the Bring Our Families Home organization and it will be aimed at spreading the word about the dozens of Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. The mural is going up on a wall in the alleyway between Levain Bakery and the former Ri Ra.

From the organization’s press release:

The mural, designed and installed by Iowan artist Isaac Campbell, will use the wheat paste technique to capture the faces of 18 Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. According to the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, there are actually 64 publicly known cases of Americans being held hostage or wrongfully detained around the world. Given families are often reluctant to publicize or inform the U.S. government that their loved ones have been taken, there are likely even more. With this public mural, families of American hostages and wrongful detainees hope to increase attention to the plight of their loved ones, to educate the public about hostage diplomacy, and to create community advocacy that will encourage the Biden administration to use all tools available to them to urgently bring them home.

GM understands that the organizers are hoping that residents and passersby will participate in applying the mural to the wall as a part of the outreach. So stop on by in the days leading up to it to see if you can give a hand!