Trump supporters deface Black Lives Matter mural while shouting 'there is no racism'
Police are searching for two Donald Trump supporters who were filmed vandalising a Black Lives Matter mural hours after it was finished.
A man and a woman rolled black paint over the giant yellow “Black Lives Matter” message, which had been written on tarmac outside a local courthouse in Martinez, California, on Saturday.
The pair shouted “there is no oppression, there is no racism” as shocked onlookers pleaded with them to stop, branding them “racist” and a “coloniser”.
“We’re sick of this narrative,” the man, wearing a red “Trump… Four More Years” T-shirt, retorts in the footage. “The narrative of police brutality, the narrative of oppression, the narrative of racism. It’s a lie. It’s a Leftist lie.”
Yooo!!! This Karen and Chad are defacing a #BlackLivesMatter mural in Martinez, CA. Twitter do your thing. pic.twitter.com/mtuTqtMT8A
— Suave (@SuaveLlave)
The woman, using two expletives, tells those yelling off-camera to “keep this” in New York, adding, “This is not happening in my town.” Washington and New York have had similar murals painted.
The man in the red shirt, after returning from a nearby jeep with a can of paint, shouts: “Keep America great again, that’s right. Why don’t you guys learn about history, the Emancipation Proclamation Act?”
Chief Manjit Sappal, of the Martinez Police Department, said in a statement: “The community spent a considerable amount of time putting the mural together only to have it painted over in a hateful and senseless manner.
“The city of Martinez values tolerance, and the damage to the mural was divisive and hurtful.”
Justin Gomez, a local resident who got permission to paint the mural, said: “I’m not so surprised that it happened. I’m surprised at how bold they chose to be.”
Residents painted the anti-racism mural in capital letters on Court Street in the city, about 35 miles northeast of San Francisco, at 7am on Saturday. By 3pm, Mr Gomez received messages that it had been vandalised.
#Breaking-1: This man was just arrested for allegedly pulling a gun on a young man, who was part of a group watching over a #BlackLivesMatter mural that was defaced in #Martinez.https://t.co/RF0VmwBayg #BLM #police #BlueLivesMatters #BayArea pic.twitter.com/ajR0QbSTEV
— Anser Hassan (@AnserHassan)
He said it had since been repaired and that other activists were standing guard to protect it from further defacement.
A motorist was arrested after allegedly pulling a gun on those protecting it and shouting “all lives matter” on Monday, according to ABC News.
Police are currently investigating the original footage and anyone who can identify the male and female involved are urged to call Martinez police Dispatch Center on 925-372-3440.
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