Street Artists Transform Community Devastated by Violence Into a Colorful, City-Wide Mural

El Chapo’s escape might have been a great source of Tweetable entertainment for many Americans, but the country of Mexico continues to struggle with violence. Over 60,000 people, many of them young people, have died due to drug-related violence in just the last decade alone. That’s why the Mexican government recently came up with a small and imaginative solution. In the city of Palmitas, the government hired local street artists “Germen Crew” to repaint 209 houses—that’s 20,000 square meters of façade—and turn an entire town into a big, beautiful, rainbow mural.

According to Street Art News, the Palmitas project has done more than beautify the city. Jobs were created in the process, and rising employment appears to have reduced youth violence. It’s a small, simple solution that appears to have had wide, complicated city impact. And while there’s no word yet on whether there’ll be more projects like this in the future, the results, posted below, couldn’t be more promising.

(Via: Bored Panda)