In 1968 , as a reaction to the riots after Martin Luther King 's assassination , storeowners in Harlem added corrugate steel gates to their storefronts . Franco the Great saw these gates as canvases to call for positive change . He began working on Sundays , a day where most stores are closed , as a time to create positivity-promoting and African-American themed murals on the gates . Since then , Franco has painted over two hundred gates , from the East to the West side of 125th Street , and beyond
Martin Luther King 's assassination
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Franco the Great