Eye on Texas: Remembering Draylen Mason
Street artist Mike Johnston created this mural on a utility box in East Austin, where the teenage bombing victim was a third-generation resident.
A version of this story ran in the June 2018 issue.
Draylen Mason, 17, was one of two people killed by a package bomb during a string of attacks across Austin in March. The principal bassist in the Austin Youth Orchestra, he had recently been accepted to the University of Texas at Austin’s prestigious Butler School of Music. Street artist Mike Johnston created this mural on a utility box at the intersection of Webberville and Pleasant Valley roads in East Austin, where Mason was a third-generation resident. Johnston told the Austin American-Statesman, “This is maybe one very small way people can say he’s still here and his memory will live on.”
See more photos from Eye on Texas at www.texasobserver.org/eyeontexas. CALL FOR ENTRIES: Seeking Texas-based documentary photography. Please send inquiries to [email protected].
You May Also Like
For Austin Police, Claims of Racism Are Only the Tip of the Iceberg
An investigation into allegations of racism against a former top cop points to deeper problems of bias and retaliation at the Austin Police Department.
A Top Cop Accused of Racism Forces Austin to Confront Bias in Law Enforcement
Austin isn’t the only Texas city where trust between police and communities of color has frayed this year.
‘Don’t Be Afraid to Break Some Eggs,’ Austin Mayor Tells New Anti-Racist Task Force
Steve Adler said the task force will focus on institutional racism, rather than individual attitudes.