BEDFORD, Texas — If you drive too fast, you might miss the details of an art piece on the corner of Forest Ridge and Doug Rivers in Bedford, Texas.
Jodi Pope, the artist and graphic designer, stood next to the traffic signal box, where her work was displayed.
"It had to be big, bold, colorful and a quick in-your-face before they drove by," said Pope.
On Monday, she put on the final touch with her signature.
Pope and her work were hand-picked by the FBI Dallas Division.
This year, the FBI Dallas Division partnered with the City of Bedford Cultural Arts Department on the city's existing Traffic Signal Box Design Contest. With the theme "Protecting Our Communities Together", Jodi Pope was selected as the winning artist.
"This is fantastic," Supervisory Special Agent Jennifer Briggeman said. "This just displays our messaging of partnering with our communities. It embodies what we want to promote of working together with the community to combat hate."
The united hands are a reminder to report hate speech, hate crime and other hate-related incidents. QR codes are available on the box that link people directly to the FBI tip line.
"It is one of our top criminal priorities at the FBI," said Briggeman. "Hate crimes are on the rise. However, the crime reporting isn't as much as we'd like it to be.
According to FBI data in Texas, 184 hate crimes were reported in 2017, 408 in 2019 and 542 in 2021. Still, she said she knows many incidents go unreported.
With this art, Pope reminds people of humanity and community.
"I wanted your focus to go right into that, the gripping hands, the love, the compassion, the being," Pope said.
Whether it's a quick drive passing the box, or a walk down the street, she hopes people will feel unity and awareness with her art.
If you believe you are a victim or a witness of a hate crime, you are encouraged to report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting an online tip at tips.fbi.gov.