“Beautiful, absolutely breathtaking,” are the words Dallas Police Officer Gregory Ceraso used to explain the freshly painted mural on 3rd Ave. in Dallas.
The mural is a memorial flag with a blue stripe to honor the five fallen officers of the July 7 tragedy.
Scott LoBaido is the man who transformed the side of a dull, grey building into a masterpiece that has already touched the hearts of so many.
“It’s something for us to come to everyday,” said Officer Ceraso. “It speaks volumes for a person to do something like this.”
LoBaido is an American artist who focuses on the intricate tapestry of American culture, freedom, patriotism, service and nostalgia. LoBaido flew in from New York to complete the painting that he found necessary for Dallas, Texas.
LoBaido has cops in his family in New York, so when he heard news of the Dallas ambush, he knew he had to do something.
The artist said he didn’t want to come and ‘bombard’ Dallas right away so he first painted the mural in his hometown, Staten Island, New York.
“It was such a huge success and when I say success I mean that it touched so many people,” said LoBaido. “And that was just from my community in Staten Island, not even here.”
The mural is not just a memorial flag, LoBaido added his own touches that brought tears to many of the officer's eyes at the unveiling.
Five blue empty chairs are mounted on top of the building for the five officers to overlook the city. LoBaido explained they obviously can’t sit with their families at the dinner table anymore, so this is a permanent seat for them in Dallas.
There is also a design painted within the stripes of the flag. The artist explained this represents the fabric of the law enforcement family.
One final detail is the plaques with the names of the five officers.
“I didn’t put their ranks on their names on the plaques or ‘police officer’ because I wanted to humanize them,” said LoBaido.
He explained that he left off the titles because the officers were normal people who have normal emotions and lives. They were normal people who completed the extraordinary task of protecting the community.
LoBaido said he created the mural so that there is something permanent in the city where people can reflect and honor the brave officers who gave their life to protect the City of Dallas for forever. The unveiling concluded when Dallas Police released five blue balloons into the sky.
