New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Thursday that the police presence in front of Trump Tower would be reduced following President Biden’s inauguration.
“It’s still obviously a sensitive site, but it’s going to be a much lower security profile,” de Blasio said. “A lot more of the space around it is going to be opened up, which is a good thing for the people of that neighborhood and for the city.”
The New York City Police Department, with the help of federal law enforcement, guarded the skyscraper owned by former President Donald Trump for the last four years. The building became a flashpoint in June, when de Blasio and borough leaders chose to paint “Black Lives Matter” in bright yellow lettering on the street directly adjacent to the Republican’s property.
The street art, an apparent political statement amid nationwide racial-justice protests that followed the death of George Floyd, was defaced several times and repainted.
A “Black Lives Matter” mural was painted in front of Trump Tower in New York City on Thursday. Mayor Bill de Blasio and Rev. Al Sharpton helped paint the bold, yellow letters across 5th Ave. https://t.co/PSdS0CPK6V pic.twitter.com/ZkILZbXATI
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 9, 2020
Trump earned the endorsement of at least three of the largest police unions in New York, which are also among the vastest in the country. The Police Benevolent Association, the Sergeants Benevolent Association, and the State Troopers PBA backed the former president during his 2020 reelection bid.
“Donald Trump has our back. President Trump has supported us when so many people have turned against us,” State Troopers PBA President Thomas Mungeer said. “Joe Biden supported cops in the past, but he’s turned his back on us. Biden has taken anti-police stands that pander to his base.”
