California Police Are Looking For Couple Who Defaced BLM Mural With Black Paint
Image via Footage Force / Shutterstock.com
Californian authorities are looking for a couple who defaced a Black Lives Matter mural using black paint.
The Martinez Police Department announced that it is looking for a white male and female after they were seen ruining the mural painted in front of the city courthouse in Martinez.
Footage that surfaced online sees the couple in MAGA apparel, with the female smearing black paint over the mural before using a paint roller to cover the yellow letters.
When asked why they did so, her male friend replied, “We’re sick of the narrative, that’s what is wrong. The narrative of police brutality, the narrative of oppression, the narrative of racism, it’s a lie.”
Her male accomplice, wearing a red cap and red shirt that read “Trump,” could be seen recording the incident at the side and grabbing a can of black paint from a parked car.
“The community spent a considerable amount of time putting the mural together only to have it painted over in a hateful and senseless manner,” Chief Manjit Sappal of the Martinez Police Department said in a statement. “The city of Martinez values tolerance, and the damage to the mural was divisive and hurtful.”
The department said that it dispatched to the Black Lives Matter mural after people reported the incident, but the duo had already fled the area.
Justin Gomez, a top organizer for Martizians for Black Lives, said the team was given permission to paint the mural in front of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse. Unfortunately, the mural was vandalized an hour after they painted it.
“I’m not so surprised that it happened,” Gomez told the New York Times. “I’m surprised at how bold they chose to be.”
Gomez added that the mural has been restored and citizens are keeping a lookout to ensure it would not get defaced again.
2- Police are investigating and have released the license plate number of the alleged couple who attempted to paint over the #mural.https://t.co/RF0VmwBayg#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #RacialInjustice #AllLivesMatter #Martinez #BayArea pic.twitter.com/OCfOR8Z5Xc
— Anser Hassan (@AnserHassan) July 6, 2020
[via Global News, opening image via Footage Force / Shutterstock.com]
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