A Black Lives Matter mural in a Cleveland neighborhood intended to honor the movement and those killed by police was defaced on Monday with messages saying “stop killing each other” and “Black Lives Matter is Marxist.”
City Councilman Blaine Griffin told Fox News that about 100 artists gathered over the weekend to paint the mural on East 93rd Street in the Kinsman neighborhood, which he represents in the 17-member corps. The alleged vandal, he said, has conservative views and should be allowed to express them without engaging in vandalism.
“I thought it was very inappropriate, very disrespectful and I also thought it was very insincere for a person who knew all these artists and all the residents of the community who did this as a feeling of pride, that he would go out and impose his belief on the will of hundreds of thousands of people who have made this a regional attraction, “Griffin said.
The Cleveland Police Department did not provide Fox News with a statement about the incident, but told Cleveland.com that the matter is being investigated as a possible criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.
Ricky Smith, one of the organizers of the mural, told the media that the man had painted messages before.
“That a person who does something negative does not take away the amazing work of the artists, the amazing enthusiasm of the visitors and the amazing energy of everyone behind it,” he told the outlet.
Griffin said the mural was more about speaking out against police brutality and violence. He also questioned the accounts of a witness who said that a police officer near the mural was asleep on his patrol while the vandalism occurred.
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Local artists paint “Black Lives Matter” spanning three blocks on East 93rd Street in Cleveland on Saturday. (John Kuntz / Cleveland.com via AP)
He said the police department supports the mural and officials have become engaged with the community.
“It is really unfortunate that people are trying to paint all these different narratives,” he said. “That is another person who imposed his beliefs, probably to try to challenge the police department.”
The artists involved plan to paint over the messages, Griffin said, adding that the vandalism has resulted in increased support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Whatever he tried to do failed,” he said. “And I think the guy is frankly a selfish individual and a person who doesn’t have a moral compass.”
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Similar murals honoring Black Lives Matter have emerged in communities across the country following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody last month.
