What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Eyes On The King Verdict”?

Artist Statement

I based this "Eyes on the King Verdict" print on photos taken by Ted Soqui during the LA riots of spring 1992. Ted has a long history of photographing activists and protests, which began after the "not guilty" verdicts on April 29, 1992, for the four officers who severely beat Rodney King. I especially love the central pic of a young woman protester in a Malcolm X hat contemplating the scene. I think it is important to consider the symbolic weight of the Rodney King verdict and the emotional impact on communities of color seeking justice and accountability. At the time, 30 years ago, I remember feeling enraged that such a blatant act of police brutality was going unpunished when it was captured on video. It is heartbreaking how frequently similar acts of violence and abuse of power by law enforcement have gone unpunished, even when caught on camera. I don't ever condone violence or looting, but I understand why LA erupted in riots and protests after the King verdict. When people feel that the American system has failed them repeatedly, things can reach a boiling point. The urge to protest injustice and the right to do so are legitimate, even if looting is not legitimate. The LA riots were a tragic mixture. However, beware of those who try to conflate protest with "criminal agitation" or "inciting a riot." When the system fails the people, it is nothing short of patriotic for the people to protest for a solution. Ted Soqui and I both signed the "Eyes on the King Verdict" print. A portion of the proceeds will benefit WLCAC (Watts Labor Community Action Committee). Edition of 600. $70. – Shepard Eyes On The King Verdict. 18 x 24 inches. Screen print on thick cream Speckletone paper. Original Illustration based on photograph by Ted Soqui. Signed by Ted Soqui and Shepard Fairey. Numbered edition of 600. $70.

Summary

Eyes On The King Verdict is a 2022 screen print by Shepard Fairey, published by Obey Giant, measuring 18 x 24 inches on thick cream Speckletone paper in a numbered edition of 600 at $70. The illustration is based on a photograph by Ted Soqui taken during the spring 1992 Los Angeles unrest that followed the not-guilty verdicts in the Rodney King beating case. The central figure is a young woman protester in a Malcolm X hat surveying the scene. Signed by both Soqui and Fairey, the print supports the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC), addressing police brutality and the right to protest injustice.

Why It Matters

Eyes On The King Verdict ties Fairey's protest-art tradition to a specific, historically charged moment: the spring 1992 Los Angeles unrest following the acquittals in the Rodney King beating case. Built on Ted Soqui's documentary photography, the print foregrounds a young woman protester in a Malcolm X hat, an image Fairey singles out for its symbolic weight around justice, accountability, and communities of color. Fairey's accompanying text frames the work within ongoing concerns about police brutality and the legitimacy of protest, drawing an explicit line from 1992 to present-day struggles over law-enforcement accountability. The charitable tie to the Watts Labor Community Action Committee grounds the print in the affected community rather than abstract commentary. For collectors, the work is a clear example of Fairey's civil-rights and social-justice output, distinguished by its documentary source, its dual signature with the original photographer, and its direct engagement with a landmark event in American protest history. It rewards collectors who value politically substantive prints, primary-source provenance, and works that connect a historical flashpoint to enduring questions about justice.

Collector Perspective

This appeals to collectors of Fairey's civil-rights and social-justice prints, and to those drawn to documentary-based protest imagery tied to a landmark American event. The dual signature from photographer Ted Soqui and Fairey, plus the WLCAC charitable component, will attract buyers who value provenance and cause-driven work. At 18 x 24 inches in an edition of 600, it is accessible for mid-level collectors and carries strong narrative and historical weight for display. It fits a politically focused Fairey collection centered on justice and protest, and pairs naturally with his other civil-rights prints, offering a portrait-of-protest centerpiece grounded in a specific moment.

Historical Context

The print sits within Fairey's long-running civil-rights and protest output, published by Obey Giant in 2022. It draws on Ted Soqui's photography from the spring 1992 Los Angeles unrest that followed the not-guilty verdicts on April 29, 1992, in the Rodney King case, anchoring it to a defining episode in modern American protest history. Fairey explicitly connects that moment to continuing concerns about police brutality and the right to protest, positioning the print as both a historical reflection and a present-tense statement. The collaboration with the original photographer and the benefit to the Watts Labor Community Action Committee align with Fairey's recurring practice of pairing social-justice prints with documentary sources and community causes.

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