City Leaves a Message at Trump Tower

Mayor de Blasio helps paint BLM mural in the street
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 9, 2020 5:11 PM CDT
NYC Puts New Mural in a Prominent Spot
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, wearing an orange mask, participates in painting "Black Lives Matter" on Thursday.   (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Each of New York City's five boroughs is to have a Black Lives Matter mural. Those aren't empty words, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a tweet, "We’re committed to the meaning of the message." And the Manhattan mural wasn't placed just anywhere: It's on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower. The Rev. Al Sharpton and de Blasio took rollers in hand and joined the effort Thursday, helping to finish painting the "L" as people chanted, "Black lives matter!" and "No justice, no peace!" One passerby liked the message being aimed at President Trump, WNBC reports. "It sticks it to him," Fran Prince said. "It doesn’t mean that it’ll change him. But it breaks away at the things that he thinks he can say and stop." A Trump backer passing by, on the other hand, said, "I'm praying for rain."

Earlier this month, President Trump objected to the plans on Twitter, saying that the mayor is cutting police funding even as he paints "a big, expensive, yellow Black Lives Matter sign" on Fifth Avenue. "This will further antagonize New York’s Finest." He had support on the street, per the Daily News, that included a few chants of "All lives matter!" There were arguments in the crowd, as well. The head of New York's Black Lives Matter complained that de Blasio left his organization out of the project. "I like this project because it annoys Trump, but we don’t need de Blasio to sign streets," Hank Newsome said. "We need him to sign legislation." Gov. Andrew Cuomo also said he supports the mural but thinks de Blasio should be moving past symbolism. "Now it's about making the actual change," Cuomo said. "Not just saying to the protesters, 'I'm with you.'" (More Black Lives Matter stories.)

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