In an effort to embolden police officers to break through the blue wall of silence and restore the trust of the communities they are sworn to protect, artist Michael D’Antuono will be taking his latest painting “It Stops With Cops” to the steps of the Mitchel Courthouse in Baltimore from Dec 7-11. The artist will come with a a seventeen foot traveling billboard, an eight foot banner and will be handing out free posters of the piece to protesters.

The painting, which depicts a heroic officer clutching the night stick out of the hands of another policeman who is about to club a handcuffed black man, has already reached over 650,000 people just on the artist’s facebook page alone. The artist is quick to clarify that the piece is not anti-police, but rather anti-police brutality and anti-institutional racism. “They say most cops are good” said D’Antuono, “but good cops don’t let bad cops get away with killing defenseless citizens.”

D’Antuono is known for his hard hitting takes on hot-button issues like his gun-control piece, “Blood Money.” His gut-wrenching articulations in paint have raised both eyebrows and social consciousness. See more of D’Antuono’s work at ArtandResponse.com.