Martinez, California, police are looking for two White people who took it upon themselves to deface a Black Lives Matter mural mere minutes after the slogan had been painted on the street on July 4 as part of community celebrations.
Videos showed the White woman slapping black paint over the yellow lettering and using a roller to cover parts of the mural, while the White man records infuriated onlookers yelling at them to stop, The New York Times reports.
“The community spent a considerable amount of time putting the mural together only to have it painted over in a hateful and senseless manner,” Chief Manjit Sappal of the Martinez Police Department said in a statement, emphasizing that community members obtained a permit to paint the street. “The city of Martinez values tolerance, and the damage to the mural was divisive and hurtful.”
The man in the video could be seen wearing a red shirt with “Trump” and “Four More Years” on it, berating bystanders and claiming that the “narrative of police brutality,” and racism and oppression is “a lie.”
“Keep America great again, that’s right. Why don’t you guys learn about history, the Emancipation Proclamation Act?” the man taunted. “You’re only free because of our forefathers.”
Meanwhile, the woman could be heard telling onlookers that “this is not happening in my town,” and to keep this sort of demonstration in New York.
The couple left the scene before police could arrive, however, police did get a witness photograph of the suspects’ vehicle, which was described as a Nissan pickup truck with the word ‘NICOLE’ on the right side of the tailgate in silver lettering.
The police department is investigating the incident and is asking anyone with information to identify the couple to call its dispatch center at 925-372-3440. The license plate on the truck, which has a camper shell, is 52701B1, the statement noted.