Many of his early murals utilized Cartoon Literalism, including one of his most famous pieces, “The Disruption,” which is painted near the intersection of 20th and Bryant streets in the Mission. In his early murals, Norris mainly used Cartoon Literalism to “create something that has value for his community.” Norris believes that when creating murals, “There’s a responsibility that comes with it. The traditional aspect of murals is that they tell stories and plights of indigenous people to inform [others] of what has happened in the past.” The main theme Norris addressed in “The Disruption” was gentrification, which has been pervasive in San Francisco over the last few decades. “The Disruption” very satirically documented gentrification in specifically the Mission, so that all those who lived there and all those who would visit in the future could know the modern history of the neighborhood. For this project, Norris hired “kids from the neighborhood and paid each of them $250 to help me... there is nothing but heart and neighborhood love in that mural.” The mural remains a recognizable staple in the Mission today.
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Bears can be cute teddy bears or tough grizzly bears… it [could] be read as a sentence.”
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