Along an underpass of the Old Plank Road Trail on Oct. 22, 2022, artist Damon Lamar Reed painted the portraits of two missing women with bright hues. The families of the women assisted in the painting, all yearning that, one day, the two women might return home.
The underpass of the Old Plank Road Trail on Orchard Drive in Park Forest, Ill., features the mural of Jerrica Lizette Laws and Brenda Maria Gonzalez-Jackson, two women who disappeared nearly 10 years ago. The mural raises awareness of the need for public safety in Illinois as well as give voice to those who are underrepresented in the Chicagoland area.
According to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System operated by the Department of Justice, in Illinois, 3.3 people disappear for every 100,000 residents.
The Still Searching Project, founded by Damon and Nicole Reed, alerts people of underrepresented women who have gone missing recently or decades ago. Through his art, Damon Reed directs the public’s attention to the lack of public safety and assists families in searching for their lost loved ones.
Despite the fact that Laws has been missing since 2015 and Gonzalez-Jackson since 2016, Reed painted their portraits in 2022 on the drive that is typically traveled by residents who live along North Orchard Drive, where many people are able to see the mural as they pass by.
The mural helps people remember to find those who are lost, no matter how long ago they went missing. It brings to light the grief that two families are facing as a result of a missing loved one as well as the problems in society in regards to the safety of the people such as the need for stronger connections between citizens and law enforcement.
Alecia Jones, 18, upon looking at the mural, not knowing of the mural or the women before, saw it as a sign of respect to commemorate the missing people. She looked at the mural with admiration.
“I think the mural brings a sense of urgency and support for their families to show that people are still looking for them and care about their missing whereabouts,” Jones said.
To some, the mural is used to spread the word of the missing women. To others, it is a sign to take action.
Erin Eversley, 18, viewed it as a request to become more involved in the community just as much as it is a sign to remember those who are missing.
“I would say it’s a call to action because when I see it, it quite literally paints a picture in my mind which makes me want to look for these people. It shows the extreme effort, by the person who did the mural, to find them,” Eversley stated.
According to the FBI website, Jerrica Lizette “RicRic” Laws has been missing since Aug. 17, 2015, at approximately 7 p.m. after going for her usual walk. She had no identification with her, as she left her purse at home. She is an African-American woman with brown eyes and black hair. She also has an undiagnosed mental disability, according to family.
According to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Brenda Maria “Ramos” Gonzalez-Jackson, an Iraq War veteran, disappeared on Jan. 3, 2016. She was last seen at home, with her husband. There was a history of domestic violence in her home. She is a Hispanic woman with brown eyes, long black hair, and burn scars on her upper leg and chest.
Anyone with information of the missing women is urged to contact the Park Forest Police Department at 708-748-1309.
