NEW YORK — Blue paint has been splattered on a prominent Black Lives Matter street painting, the second time this week it was defaced.
Three people were arrested, and one person was issued a summons for the Friday afternoon incident near Trump Tower, the Washington Examiner confirmed with the New York Police Department. One woman who was arrested was seen wearing an All Lives Matter T-shirt and a rainbow cape.
The blue paint was cleaned by the city’s Department of Transportation just hours after the occurrence.
It was previously splattered with red paint on Tuesday, and as the city promptly cleaned it up that day, Mayor Bill de Blasio, who helped install the street painting along with first lady Chirlane McCray and Rev. Al Sharpton, tweeted:
To whoever vandalized our mural on 5th Avenue: nice try. @NYC_DOT has already fixed it.
The #BlackLivesMatter movement is more than words, and it can’t be undone. pic.twitter.com/nlYTALCWxJ
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 13, 2020
Additional New York Police Department officers were sent to 5th Avenue to guard the Black Lives Matter street painting following Tuesday’s incident.
Former Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik tweeted Thursday night:
Just heard that @NYCMayor has 1 & 8 securing the #BlackMindsMatter mural at Trump Tower. That’s one sergeant and eight cops, x 3 tours a day! Violence, shootings, and murder is up in NYC and this clown has three sergeants and 24 cops guarding a mural! If true, #SICKENING
— Bernard B. Kerik (@BernardKerik) July 16, 2020
The Washington Examiner on Friday confirmed with officers on site that they were guarding not only Trump Tower but also the BLM painting.
De Blasio on Friday released a plan to curtail gun violence, which has ravaged the nation’s largest city lately. That includes shifting patrols to areas with high shootings, enhancing shooting investigations, organizing gun buyback events, and working with community partners.
Shootings and other crimes in the city have skyrocketed, but de Blasio has blamed the massive recent surge in gun violence on several reasons, including a lack of law enforcement resources, the COVID-19 pandemic, the judicial system, high unemployment, and the lack of available activities for young people.
Back in June, 270 people were shot, and 39 were killed, a 130% increase from the previous year that same month. The shootings in July continue to grow after 64 people were shot following the Fourth of July weekend.
