A California town has removed street art paying tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement after a resident requested a design supporting President Trump be installed as well.
Dan Pease, a resident of Redwood City, California, was given permission by the city to paint a Black Lives Matter sign on a street over the Independence Day holiday. The art, however, was removed overnight recently after a local attorney requested a “Make America Great Again” painting supporting Trump be put up, too, according to KPIX 5 CBS Bay Area.
“I saw ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign appearing on Broadway Street on the asphalt. I figured that’s gonna be a new public space, open for discussion, and I wanted to get my message out, too,” Maria Rutenburg said about her request for the pro-Trump messaging.
Pease says he has no “hard feelings” toward the city for removing his sign, but another resident, Art Elola, expressed dismay that the Black Lives Matter sign caused disagreement.
“They’re afraid, you know? And that’s the whole movement, is we’ve been afraid to do what’s right,” Elola said. “The whole crux of the movement is, you know, be bold and let’s do the right thing, and, here, they’re setting an example, and it’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate that other people put the pressure on them, too.”
Black Lives Matter art has been going up across the country following the death of George Floyd on May 25. Some have been at the center of controversy, such as street art painted outside Trump Tower, the president’s longtime residence before entering the White House, at the order of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. That art was recently vandalized several times.
Last month, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser installed a Black Lives Matter painting on the street leading to the White House, which triggered a lawsuit over First Amendment concerns.
*story by The Washington Examiner