Recently, Humboldt-focused corners of social media were hotly debating the series of provocative guerrilla murals that adorned a number of downtown Eureka and Arcata walls for less than a day last week. Paired with scrawled messages like “This Was Never Their Land to Extract From” and “Death of Greed,” the all-black painted works feature figures hanged by the neck and holding flowers. 

Some were outraged, some puzzled, while some celebrated the artist’s brave vision. Art, man. Whoa. 

Local law enforcement say they are investigating the origin of the displays. No arrests have been made, nor have any suspects been identified as of yet. 

While the figures have been painted over, they linger in our mind. But what do you think the mean?