(gentle Latin music) (gentle rock music) - The streets have changed big time, they're empty.

At the beginning, I was in fear, because nobody knew anything about it.

Quarantine, you know, no more school, so we all kinda freaked out, including myself.

But, hey, I'm not stopping to do my work.

I work as a art teacher for 12 years in East Oakland in public school.

What I try to give my students is a space for expression.

giving that to young people is crucial.

There are kids that their parents are working all day, so we become that part that's missing.

Because of the pandemic, I don't have a job now.

But the teaching continues.

There is a lot of opportunities to keep teaching, not necessarily in the classroom.

(gentle music) When COVID start, hard times for a lot of people, economic, mental, people losing jobs, their houses.

It's been, in a way, tough for me too, but it's bringing me hope this time, because I know that something has to happen.

(people chanting) Then George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protest started.

They start the boards up.

All of a sudden, there were hundreds of new spots to paint.

For me, that was an opportunity to do the messages that were needed.

The people speak through the walls.

It became an open gallery, like a renaissance.

And that is the proof that art is a weapon, but also it's medicine.

The walls are ours.

We're not giving them the walls back to gray.

(gentle African music) When you put that on public, you are putting your feelings there, how you think, your ideas.

That's a revolutionary act.

Colors can change the energy of places and people.

Images can get in your conscience.

Space can be changed in a positive way to help the people that live there.

♪ Get ready to rumble ♪ If you are seeing a wall that is gray all your life, and all of a sudden, you see that same wall that is full of colors just makes you feel good.

That drives me to do more.

Imagine for a minute, for a second, imagine the world without art, with no music, no murals.

Can you imagine it?

(gentle music) Art is essential.

I mean, what gives you hope?

A beautiful painting, a good song.

This time we're proving it, we're more essential than ever, man.

People put me in the box of radical artist or political artist because I've been doing it.

But now in these times, pandemic times, tragedies, fires, everything happening, political turmoil, people need magic, need to be bring back to our humanity.

It's about bring joy.

For me, it's just like a tool to make people feel better in these hard times, you know?

That's what I am right now.