Mayor Bill de Blasio joined activists and city workers in painting the words “Black Lives Matter” in front of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue at the end of last week. Have you had a chance to see the mural? The Mayor helped paint in the L in “Lives” to the sound of “Black lives matter” and “No justice, no peace” chants, as well as a number of more critical comments. The mural is one of many actions, both governmentally and community-led, in response to police brutality and systemic racism in the United States, particularly following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
The new mural was created the same day that Centre Street in Lower Manhattan was co-named Black Lives Matter Boulevard. These efforts comes after Manhattan’s first Black Lives Matter Mural was completed last week in Foley Square, designed by artists and architects and painted by street artist group TATS CRU and Thrive Collective, a youth arts nonprofit. New York City’s first Black Lives Matter street mural was unveiled in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
The mural was announced last month, and its location was presented as a direct rebuke of President Trump, who has called out those protesting against systemic racism. Trump called out the project in late June on Twitter as well as making a comment on the NYPD. Earlier this month, New York’s City Council voted to slash the NYPD’s budget by $1 billion, and activists have been calling for more radical changes to the police force.
Photo by Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
A number of protesters at the mural’s painting shared a similar sentiment to Trump, criticizing de Blasio’s administration. On Saturday, about 50 Blue Lives Matter protestors came to the mural with their blue striped American flag. No major incident ensued but the two groups clashed verbally and physically. Meanwhile, de Blasio said on Thursday, “President Trump said we would be denigrating the luxury of Fifth Avenue. Let me tell you: we’re not denigrating anything, we are liberating Fifth Avenue, we are uplifting Fifth Avenue.”
Next, check out more photos of the new Colorful, Giant Black Lives Matter Mural in Lower Manhattan!
