Martinez, California police have asked the public to help them identify a woman filmed covering a Black Lives Matter mural (which was greenlit by the city) while her partner argued that the “narrative of racism” is a liberal lie.
The incident took place on July 4th in front of the local courthouse, where a giant yellow-lettered ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural popped up earlier that day.
The mural in support of the ongoing protests against police brutality was approved by the city. However, it was in urgent need of restoration only a couple of hours into its existence after a woman, armed with cans of paint and a roller, began slathering black paint over the artwork in broad daylight.
The stunt drew the attention of passersby, who tried to confront the woman and her companion – sporting a red T-shirt emblazoned with one of US President Donald Trump’s campaign slogans, ‘Four More Years’.
“We’re sick of this narrative… The narrative of police brutality, the narrative of oppression, the narrative of racism – it’s a lie… It’s a lie from the media, from the liberal left,” the man can be heard saying in the viral video.
Yooo!!! This Karen and Chad are defacing a #BlackLivesMatter mural in Martinez, CA. Twitter do your thing. pic.twitter.com/mtuTqtMT8A
He then goes on to exchange verbal blows with a female protester, who cannot be seen in the footage.
“You can’t be that stupid, can you?” the protester says, to which the man responds: “No, but you can be.” The female activist then takes another jab at the apparent Trump supporter, saying: “No, I’m not, actually. You are the idiot in this scenario.”
The man’s female companion, who continues to smear paint over the letters, then interjects, telling the protester: “Keep this s**t in f**king New York. This is not happening in my town.””
In a statement on Sunday, the police said that it “appeared that the couple came to the mural with cans of paint and a roller with the specific purpose of vandalizing over the mural,” asking the public to help them locate the suspects in connection with a “vandalism” investigation.
“The community spent a considerable amount of time putting the mural together only to have it painted over in a hateful and senseless manner,” they said.
The July 4th celebrations this year have been largely overshadowed by Black Lives Matter protests, which saw activists marking Independence Day by burning an American flag outside of the White House and toppling a statue of Christopher Columbus in Baltimore.
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