A new mural with the words “Defund the Police” in bright yellow was painted over the weekend near the White House. It is right by the “Black Lives Matter” one, painted on 16th Street NW in Washington D.C. on Friday.
When asked about the new mural during an ABC “This Week” interview on Sunday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said of the “Black Lives Matter” mural, “We certainly are very proud of the D.C. mural that we commissioned in our department of public works and local artists installed.”
“It is an affirmative piece of art,” she added.
Painting a giant DEFUND THE POLICE on the road near the White House in Washington. pic.twitter.com/U29NdzAESL
— Charlotte Cuthbertson (@charlottecuthbo) June 7, 2020
Asked again if she would be taking out the part of the mural that reads, “Defund the Police,” Bowser responded, “Well, it’s not a part of the mural, and we certainly encourage expression, but we are using the city streets for city art.”
When pressed again if she would be painting over that mural, the D.C. mayor said she has not had an “opportunity to review it.”
See Bowser’s comments below:
Asked if she will remove a “Defund the Police” mural, which activists added to a “Black Lives Matter” mural commissioned by the city, D.C. Mayor Mayor Muriel Bowser says “it’s not a part of the mural," but she hasn't had "an opportunity to review it.” https://t.co/mPEboT6foQ pic.twitter.com/11zyNiYRIl
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 7, 2020
Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza told NBC News on Sunday that “defund the police” means “invest in the resources that our communities need.”
The D.C. mayor also reposted a photo on Twitter over the weekend of the view of the “Black Lives Matter” mural in the city from space.
You awake? Here’s the view from space. https://t.co/w2LETH7pWE
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) June 6, 2020
Earlier today, l asked D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser what she thought about calls from some to defund the police:
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) June 5, 2020
“We support our Metropolitan Police Department. We know they do a wonderful job protecting D.C. streets,” she replied. pic.twitter.com/pCIW8wqx9b
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Minneapolis City Council banded together in support of “[ending] the current policing system,” as IJR reported.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) said he does not agree with abolishing the Minneapolis Police Department, but instead wants to work “toward deep, structural reform and addressing systemic racism in police culture.”
It was in Minneapolis where George Floyd had his neck pinned on by a police officer’s knee for almost nine minutes and died in police custody on May 25. Since the video of the arrest went viral, protests have erupted across the country over racial inequality and for justice.
President Donald Trump pushed back on the call to defund the police, as he tweeted early Monday, “LAW [and] ORDER, NOT DEFUND AND ABOLISH THE POLICE. The Radical Left Democrats have gone Crazy!”
Additionally, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told NBC on Sunday, “Well, I understand clearly the sentiment and the substance behind the slogan. And so while it’s not a slogan I’ll use, if people just dismiss it and don’t get deeper into the substance…it is not a mark of a beloved community to prey upon the most vulnerable in your society.”
