By: Alyssa Wilson

Five police officers have sued the city of Palo Alto in California, saying it allowed a Black Lives Matter mural with anti-police images to be created.  

The officers listed as plaintiffs are Eric Figueroa, Michael Foley, Christopher Moore, Robert Parham and Julie Tannock. According to the Associated Press, the mural was painted in June 2020 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. It was supposed to remain on the street for one year, but it was removed in November, The Daily Post in Palo Alto reported.  

The suit takes issue with the “E” in the phrase, which had a picture of Joanne Chesimard, known as Assata Shakur. In 1977, she was convicted for the murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, a white police officer. She later escaped from prison and fled to Cuba, where she is believed to still be alive.  

RELATED: Two Arrested for Allegedly Defacing Black Lives Matter Mural in California 

The lawsuit also points out that the mural included the logo of the New Black Panthers. They have been identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a group that has encouraged violence against white people, Jewish people and police officers.  

“Law enforcement officers, including the plaintiffs, were forced to physically pass and confront the mural and it’s offensive, discriminatory and harassing iconography every time they entered the Palo Alto Police Department,” the lawsuit said.  

The police department is on the opposite side of City Hall from where the mural is painted. “Defendants created and allowed to exist the aforementioned discriminatory and harassing work environment. Not only did the defendants allow the harassing and discriminatory iconography to exist in the workplace, but they also sanctioned, approved, encouraged and paid for it,” the lawsuit noted.  

Officers involved in the lawsuit allegedly told “people above them in the chain of command” that the mural was a violation of the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, but the city allowed it to remain.  

Cece Carpio, the Oakland artist who painted the Shakur portion of the mural, said it was essential to include her because the nation sees her as a threat to “racial capitalism and white supremacy.”  

If you or someone you know is struggling from trauma triggered by this story, resources are available here.