In the 1990’s, a large, Aztec shield was painted in SW Detroit by two rival gangs in an effort to build peace between them. It was an inspired act, but sadly the peace did not last. The Shield and companion creatures with X’s in their three eyes were left untouched into 2012 when Valdez titled it Shield of Peace and Nonviolence after a mural team member was lost to gun violence after starting to complete mural on our own. The peaceful village theme surrounding the shield continued after subsequent years brought multiple deaths by gun violence at that site and other’s nearby.

Valdez partnered with longtime friend and fellow muralist, Katie Yamasaki, to complete and bring this project to life with grants from the Knight and Skillman Foundations, as well as individual donors devoted to seeing an end to gun violence in the SW Community.