Marcelo Saavedra

Artist Statement:

I am a strong believer in the notion that cops are absolutely evil. They target minorities and do everything in their power to take us down. As I've lived in Baltimore, I've noticed these posters around the city. They depict cops smiling and looking prideful with a caption underneath it saying "Pass the Test, Join the Best". Each time I see it I laugh to myself, because I know, that they aren't the best at all. Especially the Baltimore Police Department. With this project, I wanted to make a parody out of the posters, showcasing the truth about the BPD. I wanted to add humor to it so people could laugh at how ridiculous the original posters are and how absurd they sound. I made a poster and buttons with little pests to represent the cops, and then the person with the boot stepping over them represents the people of Baltimore. I wanted to make something that would inspire people to fight against the oppression that's happening around in our city, but I also wanted to make it humorous since a lot of media around this is saddening. We need more humor and energy in this world to fight back.