NEW YORK (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio grabbed a roller Thursday to paint “Black Lives Matter” in front of the namesake Manhattan tower of President Donald Trump, who tweeted last week that the street mural would be “a symbol of hate.”
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De Blasio was flanked by his wife, Chirlane McCray, and the Rev. Al Sharpton as he helped paint the racial justice rallying cry in giant yellow letters on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower. Activists watching chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets!”
“When we say ‘Black Lives Matter,’ there is no more American statement, there is no more patriotic statement because there is no America without Black America,” de Blasio said. “We are acknowledging the truth of ourselves as Americans by saying ‘Black Lives Matter.’ We are righting a wrong.”
The mayor announced the plan to paint “Black Lives Matter” in front of Trump Tower last month after earlier saying the slogan would be painted on streets at several locations around the city. Trump responded via Twitter that the mural would denigrate “this luxury Avenue” and “further antagonize New York’s Finest.” De Blasio tweeted back that Black Lives Matter is “a movement to recognize and protect the lives of Black people.”
Rahima Torrence, 20, who was among the people slapping yellow paint onto Fifth Avenue, said that even though the mural might be a symbol, “it’s the beginning of something more.” She said the location in front of Trump’s own skyscraper “shows that we matter and it shows to him that you can’t ignore us.”
Washington, D.C. was the first U.S. city to get a giant yellow “Black Lives Matter” mural when Mayor Muriel Bowser had it painted on the street leading to the White House. Bowser said the painting was intended to show solidarity with Americans outraged over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Trump lived in Trump Tower before he took office as president but has spent little time there since. He changed his official residence from New York to Florida last year. His business empire is still headquartered there.
What an idiot
What an idiot
What’s next?
Are they going to paint giant murals stating “Jewish Lives Matter” in Harlem and Brownsville?
His administration can be referred to as the Dinkins-De Blasio administration, as he worked under Mayor Dinkins decades ago.
someone should paint over it KIDS LIVE MATTER – it’s KLM not BLM
BLM instead of MAGA. Everyone wears a mask. Responsible crowd unlike the MAGA spreaders of the MAGA-yfo. They should do it to every building Trump and his supporters own/work. Let them move/invest to MAGA states Indiana, Kentucky,Louisiana,,So Carolina….(They can paint MAGA on their streets there)
DeBozo joins with a racist Jew hater to somehow claim he is against racism. How about he spends the money on protecting his city where crime is going up and where most victims are minorities. If BL really M than why a don’t you do something to stop the many murders of black people every day in every Democrat run city, in Chicago alone more blacks were killed last week than unarmed blacks killed by cops in the entire country last year.
President Trump should not give my state a dime till they remove this offensive grafitti. Let Deblasio fire twenty thousand bum workers from the city payrolls. And there should be a ten thousand pages pro Trump rally and let the rally goers pour black paint on this yellow grafitti. Maybe get thousands of bikers to come roaring in. Let them drop buckets of black paint all over the street. End of story.
The only mistake DBlasio made, he should have auctioned off the right to paint
$10.000.00 / one sq inch. He could have raised billions. I would have bought 10 spots.
Where is Tischler. Let him paint MAGA on 13 ave.
So is it legal for us to deface and paint any street or fire hydrant we want? Do I need any permit? Can I paint a yellow line in front of my neighbors driveway? Can I paint a no parking anytime sign, in front of my house so I can guarantee I’ll always have a spot when I get home? Is that legal? Can I make a curb cut without a permit? Did DeBlasio have a legal permit to close down 5th Avenue to traffic, inconveniencing many, as he painted a street while he was at work on the taxpayers dime? WHO PAID FOR THE PAINT AND ALL THE SUPPLIES? How was the garbage disposed of? Where? Who paid for it? Was the paint environmentally safe? Was it damaging to the climate? Did DeBlasio get any permits whatsoever for what he did? What does a sanctuary city mean? Is there law & order in NYC anymore or is it, each man do as he feels? Can I refuse to pay my taxes?
they should of used black paint
First time Al Sharpton has ever done a moments work in his lifetime
They should take the blood of all the black people killed during the De BOZiO administration and paint ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER outside Gracie Mansion and his official residence in Brooklyn.
Hey Sharpton , Rosenbaums life matters to you murderer
Isn’t it amazing? This city is facing crime and murder rates like years ago, it is extremely unsafe, but all the Mayor could say is that it’s because of Corona. Instead of supporting police officers he degraded them and that is why we are where we are. And other than that statement the mayor is hiding out. But for painting this mural he was front and center without a mask!!!
I cant wait to go stepping all over this sign.
Holy Smokes, is De Blasio really that dumb. Standing along side Sharpton??!!! One of the greatest Jew haters of all time? Some one should tell De Blasio- enlighten him- that BLM is an organization is hates Jews and is not quiet about it. I thought De Blasio has a good relationship with the Jewish Community-yikes!!! If he is a friend who needs enemies.
He did this the way his government does everything: ten people to paint one letter.
Hard workers!! Why are there no people of “no color” (other than DeBlasio) involved in this project? The politics of exclusion. Someone call the ACLU please.