This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
On July 4, 2020, a Black Lives Matter mural was painted in front of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse in Martinez, California, in a show of solidarity with the Black community. However, the mural was vandalized less than an hour later by two white individuals.
According to the Martinez Police Department, the two individuals were seen using black paint to cover the letters 'B' and 'L' in the mural, which read 'Black Lives Matter' in capital letters. The incident was captured on video and posted on social media.
Chief Manjit Sappal of the Martinez Police Department stated, '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.'
The two individuals, a man and a woman, were seen in videos posted on social media. The man, wearing a red cap and a red shirt with 'Trump' and 'Four More Years' printed on it, can be heard saying, 'We're sick of this narrative' and 'The narrative of police brutality, the narrative of oppression, the narrative of racism. It's a lie. It's a lie.'
The woman, using expletives, told onlookers to 'keep this' in New York, adding, 'This is not happening in my town.'
Local resident Justin Gomez, who organized the mural, said, 'I'm not so surprised that it happened. I'm surprised at how bold they chose to be.'
The mural was painted on a one-block stretch of Court Street in Martinez, about 35 miles northeast of San Francisco. The city had selected the location after Mr. Gomez asked for permission to paint the message.
Similar murals have been painted in cities across the country, including Washington, New York, Dallas, and Los Angeles.
