Trump supporters vandalize a city-sanctioned Black Lives Matter mural in California with black paint just hours after residents finished it on Fourth of July
- The Martinez Police Department is looking for an unidentified couple who defaced a Black Lives Matter mural
- City officials sanctioned the mural and approved for it to be placed in front of the courthouse on the Fourth of July
- Footage showed woman painting over the mural with black paint while the man argues with witnesses
- Authorities released a footage of the suspected vehicle
- Several Black Lives Matter murals have been painted since the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans by law enforcement
Authorities in California are looking for a couple who defaced a Black Lives Matter street mural on Sunday just hours after community members finished it.
The Martinez Police Department announced they were looking for an unidentified white male and female after they ruined a city-sanctioned Black Lives Matter mural with black paint.
The incident began when the couple, appearing to wear Make American Great Again apparel, arrived to mural in front of the city courthouse in downtown Martinez on July 4.
Footage shows the woman pouring a can of black paint over part of the mural and using a paint roller to cover the bright yellow letters.
When one witness asks the woman 'what's wrong with you,' her male companion replies 'we're sick of the narrative, that's what is wrong.'
'The narrative of police brutality, the narrative of oppression, the narrative of racism, it's a lie,' the man adds.
The man, who's recording the incident, then points to the Black Lives Matter sign and calls it 'racism.'
An argument sparks between the man and onlookers while the woman continues to damage the innocuous mural.
'There is no oppression. There is no racism,' the man says. 'It's a leftist lie...from the media.
The Martinez Police Department are looking for an unidentified male and female (pictured) who vandalized a Black Lives Matter mural on Saturday
The man (pictured) argued with witnesses that Black Lives Matter is 'racism' and 'no one' wants in it the city
The woman then becomes enraged at the witnesses and exclaims 'keep that s****' in f****** New York! It's not happening in my town!'
The woman appeared to referencing to a number of Black Lives Matter murals approved across all five boroughs of New York City.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that one would be painted directly in front of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue - a move that angered the president - but it was delayed last week for unspecified reasons.
Several such murals have painted on roadways across the country to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement.
The man said the couple defaced the mural because they were 'tired of the narrative...', referring to police brutality and racism
At one point, the woman becomes enraged and says to 'keep that s****' in f****** New York! It's not happening in my town!'
Authorities said the couple fled the scene before police officers arrived
At one point, the man chimes in that 'no one wants Black Lives Matter here' and 'all lives matter.'
The Martinez Police Department said that it dispatched to Black Lives Matter mural after people reported the incident, but the couple had already fled the area.
Community members on Sunday returned to the mural and re-painted it.
'The community spent a considerable amount of time putting the mural together only to have it painted over in a hateful and senseless manner,' the department said.
'The City of Martinez values tolerance and the damage to the mural was divisive and hurtful. Please help us identify those that are responsible for this crime, so they can be held accountable for their actions.'
Authorities also released a photo of the couple's suspected vehicle.
'A witness provided a photograph of the suspect’s vehicle which was described as a Nissan pickup truck with the word “NICOLE” on the right side of the tailgate in silver lettering', the press release read.
'The truck has a camper shell and the license plate is 52701B1.'
Community members returned to the Martinez courthouse on Sunday to repair the damaged Black Lives Matter mural
Authorities released an image of the couple's suspected Nissan vehicle in a press release on Sunday
According to KPIX-TV, the City of Martinez approved the Black Lives Matter mural and allowed community members to paint the artwork on the Fourth of July.
More than 100 people - all wearing face coverings and adhering to social distancing - gathered to paint the phrase on Saturday for five hours.
The 'public art project,' was organized by a local group named Martizians for Black Lives, which got permission for the mural from the Martinez Recreation Department.
Justin Gomez, a top organizer for Martizians for Black Lives, said the project was inspired after a number of anti-Black Lives Matter fliers were discovered in the city.
The fliers reportedly prompted a community-wide discussion and reflection of how residents should be treated.
'People have now seen racism in their community; now we have to confront it,' said Gomez.
He added that it was not mistake that the mural was placed in front of the Martinez courthouse.
The legal system 'gateway to mass incarceration' that has disproportionately affected Black Americans and minorities, as well as perpetuated institutional racism.
Tatiana Ray: 'You know, it was such a threat to have anybody else's concerns represented by the city and represented by the community'
'The "system" is made up of millions of little systems. We have to look locally first,' said Gomez.
One of the mural artists, Tatiana Ray, told ABC 7 that the couple's response to the artwork was indicative of white supremacy permeating through American culture.
'I think that this is an indication of how much power white supremacy actually has,' she said.
'The fact that even having something on the street for one hour, they couldn't even tolerate that. You know, it was such a threat to have anybody else's concerns represented by the city and represented by the community.'
Nationwide protests against white supremacy, racial injustice and police brutality have gripped the United States since George Floyd's death on Memorial Day.
As hundreds of thousands of Americans called for action, President Trump has railed against Black Lives Matter and unequivocally sided with law enforcement.
President Trump (pictured) has been heavily criticized for his response to the Black Lives Matter movement in recent weeks after a series of political missteps
Pictured: An aerial view of 'Black Lives Matter' mural painting is seen on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, New York City on June 15
He was condemned over his heavy-handed military response to often peaceful protests, appearing to incite further divide between civilians using prejudice rhetoric and for using the widely contested phrase 'When the looting starts, the shooting starts.
His apparent distaste for Black Lives Matter protesters seeped into his Fourth of July address at the White House, where he compared them to Nazis and terrorists.
'American heroes defeated the Nazis, dethroned the fascists toppled the communists, saved American values, upheld American principles, and chased down terrorists to the very ends of the earth,' he said.
The Martinez Police Department asked that if any members of the public can identify the male and female involved in this incident please call our Dispatch Center at 925-372-3440 with the information.
