Two African-American women were arrested by police after they defaced a giant "Black Lives Matter" mural near Trump Tower in New York City, pouring and smearing black paint on it, according to the NYPD. Footage of the incident shows a woman crawling on the yellow letters and smearing black paint over them while screaming "re-fund the police" as officers arrest her.
BREAKING: Bevelyn Beatty from At The Well Ministries graffitis #BLM mural in front of Trump Tower. pic.twitter.com/0FA0Rps0oB
— Mike Carter (@MikeCarterTV) July 18, 2020
"They're liars!", she shouted. "They say they care about black lives, they're saying to defund the police".
During the arrest, one officer also slipped on the paint and fell, injuring his arm.
NYPD officer slips on paint of anti #BLM protester at Trump Tower. pic.twitter.com/2Vunj1TWv9
— Mike Carter (@MikeCarterTV) July 18, 2020
The inscription was painted by the Democratic leaders of the city and activists following nationwide protests sparked by the death of African-American man George Floyd during a violent arrest in Minneapolis. The mural, however, has since been sprayed with paint at least two times and then restored by local authorities.
