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Black Lives Matter Mural Vandal Caught On Video Dumping Paint & Fleeing Scene Outside Trump Tower
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 14, 2020
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NYPD
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 14, 2020
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On Monday, the giant Black Lives Matter mural that was painted in front of Trump Tower in Manhattan last week was vandalized. Police have now released photos showing the vandal pouring paint on the sign—there is also a video of the suspect doing it, and then awkwardly running away from the scene, which you can see below.
The incident happened just after noon on Monday on Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th streets. The suspect, who was wearing a black shirt, black hat, sunglasses and face covering, dumped the red paint on the "Black" and "Lives" parts. Police add that the suspect is wanted for questioning in connection to a possible criminal mischief charge.
“I wish I’d tackled him, but I’m old and fat so I didn’t,” Paul Rossen, who was selling anti-Trump merchandise nearby when the incident happened, told the NY Post. “I don’t like anybody blocking free speech, and even though I hate Trump I would never think of vandalizing something pro-Trump."
This is one of several official and unofficial Black Lives Matter murals painted around the city in each borough. After de Blasio first announced these plans a few weeks ago, President Donald Trump expressed his anger over the idea, decrying it in a series of tweets as a "symbol of hate" that would be "denigrating this luxury Avenue." The mural has since become a magnet for confrontations between Trump protesters and supporters.
Anyone with information in regard to these incidents is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website, or on Twitter.
Tagged
murals
black lives matter
Trump Tower
vandalism
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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