Victim of Biddeford ICE shooting honored with mural
The smiling face of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, pressed cheek-to-cheek with his 3-year-old daughter, is now a permanent part of downtown Biddeford.
Three local artists have completed a mural honoring Guerrero, who was killed by an ICE agent in Biddeford on July 13. Guerrero, a native of Colombia, was shot in his car as agents tried to execute a warrant for someone else. He was pulled from his car and left on the street, where his wife and young daughter saw him.
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The mural is about 15 feet high, and painted on the side of a brick building that houses the Stem & Vine flower shop, near the corner of Main and Alfred streets.
It was painted by Ryan Adams and his wife, Rachel Gloria Adams, both from Portland, and Erica Sedler of Durham. Ryan Adams painted the portraits of Guerrero and his daughter, from photos supplied by his family. Rachel Gloria Adams designed the geometric background motif, a reference to Colombian textiles. Sedler painted the flowers that surround the portraits, including the orchid Cattelya trianae, the national flower of Columbia.
Sedler said Monday that the response to the mural has been overwhelmingly positive, from passersby, on social media and from the family.
“We would not have done this if the family didn’t approve of and support what we were doing, because it really is for them, “ said Sedler. “This was to show them love and support. I think it means something to them for the community to come together and show support.”
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The three artists worked on the mural Saturday and Sunday. They did not announce beforehand where the mural would be, but people started showing up when work began, to offer thanks and support, Ryan Adams said Monday.
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“So many people came by, it was wild,” said Ryan Adams. “People were bringing us gifts, and water, which in the 90-degree heat was much appreciated. Once we started to work I think word spread and folks really showed up.”
Adams said the artists were in touch with Guerrero’s family during the process of planning and painting, as well as after the mural was finished. He posted photos of the finished mural on his Instagram account Sunday night, along with an explanation.
“Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was a father, a brother, a partner, a son and a human being that should be here with us today,” Adams wrote on Instagram. “We hope this memorial can gather our community to both honor his humanity and unite in support of his family.”
Artists Ryan and Rachel Gloria Adams in front of a Lewiston mural they finished painting in June. Over the weekend, they painted a mural in Biddeford to honor Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, collaborating with artist Eric Sedler. (Russ Dillingham/Staff Potographer)
After hearing of Guerrero’s death, Sedler had gone on social media, offering to paint a mural if someone would provide the wall. She was then connected with Adams, who has painted public murals connected to social justice and immigration. The artists put out a wide call to find a building in downtown Biddeford, and the property owner ended up being somebody Adams knew.
In June, Ryan Adams and Rachel Gloria Adams finished a mural in Lewiston titled “Welcome Immigrants,” celebrating that city’s diversity. The words “Different Ships” and “Same Boat” float over multicolored designs on two sides of a downtown building. Ryan Adams also helped create, with other artists, a mural in downtown Portland in 2020 memorializing George Floyd and other Black people killed by police officers.
This mural of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero and his daughter on a wall in Biddeford was painted by Ryan Adams, his wife Rachel Gloria Adams, and Erica Sedler. (Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer)
Sedler often paints murals with scenes of nature or the outdoors. She painted flowers on a wall at Maine Needs in Portland and a 5-story mural on the side of Mill Cove Apartments in South Portland, showing a scene inspired by the city’s Greenbelt Walkway.
When posting the photo of the mural Sunday on Instagram, Ryan Adams also thanked the building owners who helped make the mural possible and Guerrero’s family “for the blessing and opportunity to create this piece for their loved one.”
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Tagged: biddeford ice shooting, ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Ray Routhier has written about pop culture, movies, TV, music and lifestyle trends for the Portland Press Herald since 1993. He is continually fascinated with stories that show the unique character of. More by Ray Routhier
