CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Black Lives Matter mural painted on a North Carolina street was defaced by tire marks left from a burnout Friday, police said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are reviewing traffic and surveillance cameras trying to figure out who defaced the Black Lives Matter mural painted in uptown Charlotte.
‘Black Lives Matter’ street mural in Uptown #CLT defaced with tire marks @wsoctv https://t.co/NSd8KwqJ7g
— Erica Bryant (@EricaWSOC9) June 13, 2020
On Tuesday, the mural brought people together, kneeling in solidarity in honor of George Floyd.
Friday afternoon, the message was smeared by tire tracks right before the city closed the road so people could come and take pictures of the artwork. The marks span the entire length of the mural on South Tryon Street.
CMPD tells me they recently became aware of the tire marks across the "Black Lives Matter" mural. CMPD says they are currently reviewing this incident to determine exactly how it may have occurred @wsoctv
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) June 13, 2020
“It was sad to see, you could tell it was intentionally done and it bothers us," said Mario Black of A Million Youth.
Many demonstrators told WSOC-TV that while the act of defacing the mural bothers them, they are not going to let it dampen their spirits.
“United we stand, divided we fall. We’re united so we’re going to continue to stand," Black said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said they are not sure who did it, but they are investigating the incident.
Artists started working on the mural Tuesday morning. The city said 17 artists were involved in the project between Third and Fourth streets, and it took them all day to complete it.
They not only had permission, but the city paid them $500 per letter and also paid for the supplies.
“I could not sit down any longer I wanted to do something, so I contacted all of my neighbors," organizer Jackie Perry said.
Cox Media Group
