Canarsie artist unveils mural paying tribute to neighbor slain in shooting

One may not know Kenny Altidor by name but his work has been seen around the borough.

News 12 Staff

Oct 23, 2021, 10:35 PM

Updated 1,086 days ago

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A Canarsie artist unveiled his latest mural Saturday honoring a neighbor who was shot and killed over the summer.
One may not know Kenny Altidor by name but his work has been seen around the borough. Altidor has turned heads with his murals that pay tribute people like Pop Smoke, Chadwick Boseman and George Floyd. But for his latest work, he wanted the focus to be more local.
His new mural pays tribute to Eirvin Monroe, a 32-year-old who was shot and killed while sitting in his car outside a Dunkin' Donuts in the neighborhood back in August.
With the help of the 69th Precinct, Altidor painted the mural at the corner of Flatlands Avenue and East 80th Street, just across the street from some of his other work.
Resident say Monroe, or "Blakka" as his friends call him, a father of three, was a "neighborhood legend." They describe him as someone who could always make a person smile or laugh and was always there to help out -- a sense of love that Altidor said he could feel as he was working on the mural.
"Everybody was involved through that mural... One of the best moments... I saw the mother was crying and she was like, 'you're painting my son,' and I was very touched," Altidor said.
Monroe's family and friends said they hope his death and the mural can inspire people in the neighborhood to end the gun violence - as the phrase "Rise above the madness" is written on the side of the mural.