If you’re a Rainier Beach local, you’ve definitely driven by the closed-down Pho Van restaurant neighboring Safeway. For many years, this graffiti-covered building has prompted public safety concerns and has been an eyesore on a road that could essentially be the entrance to Rainier Beach. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Rainier Beach A Beautiful Safe Place for Youth (Cathie Wilmore), Art of Resistance & Resilience (Kema Jones & Mari Shibuya), and some of our young adult staff members, a stunning new mural has lit up this once decrepit space!

Over the last several weeks, Cathie, Kema & Mari worked to get this project approved & designed, leaning on community input to direct the contents of the mural. Imagine our joy when we noticed that the final mural included paintings of our very own Clean Crew, Corner Greeters, and Circle Keepers! As regular fixtures in the Safeway parking lot, RBAC youth have activated the space, kept it clean, and engaged community members every Friday afternoon for over a year. It’s perhaps only fitting that this award-winning work receives homage in a mural on a nearby building.

 

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