0820_AUG Comstock's Magazine 0820 August | Page 32

ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Sacramento artist Seraiah Nichole works on
a mural at Oblivion Comics & Coffee. More
than 20 Black artists responded to a request
by owner Neil Estaris to transform the boards
that were put up to protect his business.
PHOTO BY ASHLEY HAYES-STONE
“Many (businesses) I’ve talked to say
they’ve had (residents) calling them saying,
‘I’m sorry, what can I do?’” Goines
says. “Many people say they appreciate
the calls, but there’s so much pain at this
time, and it’s difficult to tell somebody
who has caused the problem how to
fix it. The whole issue around systemic
racism didn’t happen overnight.”
A neutral zone
As the fight for equality continues,
Black residents aren’t the only ones
taking action. Neil Estaris, co-owner of
Sacramento’s Oblivion Comics & Coffee,
has shown support for the movement,
even after what happened on May 31.
That night, he hid the store’s valuables,
took electronics home and removed
any cash from the shop as a precaution.
Around 11:15 p.m., Estaris received a
notification on his phone: The store
alarm had been triggered. He went to
check it out and found Oblivion had
been broken into.
“We felt invulnerable,” he admits
almost a month later. “We posted Black
Lives Matter material on the windows
and didn’t think we would get hit.”
When Estaris and co-owner Laura
Benson set out to start a business,
they wanted to create a welcoming
space for everyone. It was a struggle
putting together a business plan,
meeting real estate agents and loan
officers. But in 2016, they won the
Downtown Partnership’s Calling
All Dreamers contest and received
$100,000 in startup services, $10,000
in starting capital and a SCORE mentor.
The shop is named after DC Comics
universe’s Oblivion Bar, a neutral
zone where heroes and villains can
talk and drink peacefully.
After the break-in, community
members asked how they could help,
so the co-owners set up a GoFundMe
account with a goal of $5,000. They
received about $7,000 from 128 donors
in 21 days. Estaris says the business
stands with the protesters against racism
and injustice. “We’re backing the
movement fully,” he says. “Businesses
aren’t supposed to voice their opinions
as much as we have, but we feel really
strongly about this.”
He posted a call for submissions
for Black artists to create artwork on
the wood panels used to board up the
shop. More than 20 artists responded,
and soon after, the boards transformed
into a vibrant collage including Black
Lives Matter iconography, raised fists, a
self-portrait and an image of Black Panther
reciting lyrics from Tupac Shakur.
When you wipe your eyes, see it clearly
There’s no need for you to fear me
If you take your time and hear me
Maybe you can learn to cheer me
It ain’t about Black or white, ’cause
we human
I hope we see the light before it’s ruined
Russell Nichols is a freelance writer who
focuses on technology, culture and mental
health. His work has appeared in The
Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe,
Governing magazine and Government
Technology. On Twitter @russellnichols.
32 comstocksmag.com | August 2020