“Preemptive courtroom sketch” is a work I painted just before I went to court after being arrested at a protest against immigration raids in my hometown of Los Angeles. I was arrested together with hundreds of others. I painted a triptych about LA’s immigrant history and this piece is the conclusion to that series.

Ultimately, the court postponed my formal charge, meaning that if I get arrested at any point until September 2026, I will be booked and do more jail time without trial on a technicality (what has been described to me as a typical way of chilling dissent and discouraging protest).

Here, the dogs of the state carry out the will of the orange-faced monster in the upper right-hand corner under the guise of ostensibly blind justice.

- Massoud Hayoun