Two Arrested for Allegedly Defacing Black Lives Matter Mural in California

By Alyssa Wilson Published: July 28, 2021

Two Arrested for Allegedly Defacing Black Lives Matter Mural in California

By: Alyssa Wilson

Two men were arrested in Northern California for allegedly defacing a Black Lives Matter mural painted on a street in Santa Cruz.

The men allegedly took turns performing burnouts with their vehicles on the street with the mural in order to deface it with tire marks, the Associated Press reported.

The suspects, identified as a 20-year-old and 19-year-old, were arrested Sunday in Santa Cruz County on charges of felony vandalism and conspiracy to commit a felony. Both were released on bail.

The 19-year-old’s grandfather spoke to the Associated Press and said the defacing of the mural had nothing to do with race. “They are kids, they did something stupid. They made a mistake,” he said.

Santa Cruz police are investigating the vandalism as a hate crime, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. In the state of California, a hate crime enhancement could add an additional year in state prison to a person’s sentence.

“The Black [community], the community at large, the people of color in our community felt this was a personal attack,” Andy Milles, the Santa Cruz police chief, said. “Let’s face it, of the 5,000-plus street segments in our city, that was the only one? We can see what took place here.”

In other parts of the state, Black Lives Matter monuments have been vandalized. In El Dorado County, an Adopt-A-Highway sign sponsored by Black Lives Matter was vandalized. The co-founder of the El Dorado County branch of Black Lives Matter, Michelle Greene, said the vandalism is “a means of intimidation, and it was specifically centered around Black lives.”