“We are fed up with this narrative, that’s what’s wrong,” the man said in the video. “The narrative of police brutality, the narrative of oppression, the narrative of racism, is a lie.”
A viewer can be heard arguing with the man off camera. She asked him what was wrong with him before adding, “This is racist what you’re doing.”
Police are searching for the unidentified man and woman seen in the video.
“It appeared that the couple came to the mural with cans of paint and a roller for the specific purpose of tearing the mural apart,” Chief Sappal said in the statement. “The community spent a considerable amount of time painting this mural only to have the suspects destroy it by throwing and rolling paint over part of the message.”
During the incident, the unidentified woman stops painting to express her concern and suggests that these murals be kept in New York. “This is not happening in my city,” he said.
The man in the red shirt repeatedly says, “All lives matter” throughout the video, and a viewer can be heard replying, “Until black lives matter, lives don’t matter.”
The altercation continues for about five minutes, with several onlookers stepping in and asking why this happens.
When the police arrived at the scene, the man and woman were already gone, police said. Police are searching for a Nissan truck with the word “NICOLE” painted in silver, which was provided by a witness. The man approached the vehicle while the video was being filmed.
The case is under investigation and the police are asking for the public’s help to identify the man and woman seen in the video.
“The community spent a considerable amount of time putting together the mural just to paint it in a hateful and pointless way,” Chief Sappal said. “The City of Martinez values tolerance and the damage to the mural was divisive and hurtful.”
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