A Black Lives Matter mural painted on a street in Oak Park, Illinois, was targeted by unknown individuals who altered the mural to make it say “All Lives Matter” instead. The artists behind the mural have decried the incident as a so-called act of racism, even though some of the most well-known proponents of the counter-slogan are people of color themselves. This includes Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, one of only three Black people in the Senate.
The Oak Park Police Department said that the incident happened in the middle of the night and that the case was now being investigated as an act of vandalism.
“The mural is considered a testament to community acknowledgment of the Black Lives Matter movement that has focused public attention on the inequities and systemic racism that have such a negative impact on people of color,” said the city in a statement.
On Wednesday, city employees cleaned up the mural. Camille Watson, executive director of the Oak Park Area Arts Council thanked the city’s public works department for their quick response. She said that the mural cleaned up well, but that the artists might have to restore parts of it. (Related: YOU GOT DUPED! Nearly 25 million Americans got hoodwinked by the Black Lives Matter Terrorist Organization that first pretended to be peaceful to reel in all the suckers.)
Similar incidents happening across the country
At least eight other Black Lives Matter murals across the United States have been attacked, mostly by unknown individuals.
In Orlando, Florida, a 30-foot Black Lives Matter mural painted in red, black and green – the colors of the Pan-African flag – was targetted on June 27. Organizers, who had not yet completed the mural, said they found a variety of slogans written on top, such as “ABOLISH THE POLICE” and “NOT ENOUGH.” These suggested that other left-wing demonstrators who were not satisfied with the city’s Black Lives Matter movement were behind the vandalism.
In Cleveland, messages were also scrawled on top of the city’s Black Lives Matter mural. One of the most prominent of these was “BLM ORGANIZATION IS MARXIST,” a charge that Democratic City Councilman Blaine Griffin has denied. Organizers believed the vandal to be one person, and that they have attempted to attack the mural several times in the past.
In the state of Vermont, three Black Lives Matter roadway murals were defaced. Two of the murals were marked with rubber from burnouts. A third was daubed with brown and white paint, which suggested that this incident was not connected to the previous two.
In Park City, Utah, the word “Black” on a mural was painted over with a solid coat of gray paint so that it just read “Lives Matter.” The “i” on “Lives” was also made to look like a raised fist – a symbol used by the Black Power movement. Other murals painted all across the city, which bore messages such as “Solidarity,” “Unity” and “Justicia Para Todos” – Spanish for “justice for all” – were not vandalized.
Suspects charged with hate crimes
In Martinez, a city in California’s East Bay region, two suspects were charged with a hate crime after they were recorded on video vandalizing a Black Lives Matter mural.
According to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office, Nicole Anderson, 42, painted over the mural with black paint while her companion, David Nelson, 53, stood by with a camera to record the hecklers who were harassing them for their actions.
“We’re sick of this narrative, that’s what’s wrong,” Nelson said. “The narrative of police brutality, the narrative of oppression, the narrative of racism.”
“It’s a lie.”
On top of the hate crime charges, both Nelson and Anderson have also been charged with violating another person’s civil rights, vandalism and possession of tools to commit vandalism. If convicted, Nelson and Anderson could spend up to a year in county jail for their actions.
Learn more about other criminal acts carried out by the Black Lives Matter movement at DomesticTerrorism.news.
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