NYC Black Lives Matter Mural At Trump Tower Defaced With Red Paint
A vandal was caught on video defacing the Black Lives Matter mural in front of Trump Tower in New York City on Monday (July 13) after a weekend of demonstrations in which supporters and detractors of the movement clashed.
According to CBS New York, a masked person splashed red paint over part of the mural painted on the street on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue where the building is located.
The mural was painted last week, one of several around the city, sending a message to Trump about racial injustice. It comes on the heels of massive demonstrations in cities around the county and the globe after recent police killings of African Americans went viral.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio blasted the vandalism and said it would not stop the messaging intended by the mural. City workers have already repainted the letters.
The person who vandalized the mural seemed to know he was being recorded, according to Nikki Rospond, who took video of the man defacing the letters.
"I just couldn't believe he did it in front of me and another person. It was clear we were videotaping and he just didn't care," Rospond told NBC New York. "Thankfully this was just paint and nothing violent."