"This is the site of the Florida state historical marker commemorating Arthur Lee McDuffie, a Black insurance broker and former US Marine whose 1979 beating death at the hands of Miami police ignited one of the most consequential uprisings in the city's history. A plaque unveiled in February 2024 at the site of his attack finally acknowledged the violence that fractured McDuffie's skull and the community-wide outrage that followed."
"This is the scene depicted in Eddie Arroyo's sketch-like painting December 3, 2024, 7:10am Design District, the first in a new series that chronicles the destruction and reinstallation of the McDuffie marker at NW Thirty-Eighth Street and North Miami Avenue. Exhibitedat the Orlando Museum of Art last summer in conjunction with the museum's 2025 Florida Prize in Contemporary Art, the painting is executed with a utilitarian restraint, suggesting a time-stamped record rather than a dramatized account of the destruction."
A historical marker honoring Arthur Lee McDuffie was installed at the corner where he was attacked. The marker acknowledged the 1979 beating that fractured McDuffie's skull and the subsequent community outrage. The marker's text panel was found missing months after installation, its pole wrapped in caution tape. Eddie Arroyo painted the scene in a sketch-like style, emphasizing restraint, shallow depth, and unresolved detail to suggest history still under construction. The painting contrasts with Arroyo's denser neighborhood scenes and positions caution tape as a demand to stop and acknowledge the event. Officials suggested accidental damage by a vehicle.
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