'Back the Blue' mural outside TPD headquarters defaced with tar and red paint, $3K offered for tips on culprits
TAMPA, FLORIDA: A 'Back the Blue' mural that was painted in front of the Tampa Police Department headquarters to show support towards law enforcement has already been defaced with tar and red paint, with authorities now searching for the culprits.
Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay is offering a reward of up to $3,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the suspects. Anyone with information who wants to be eligible for the reward is advised to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using the P3 Tips mobile app.
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported how organizers and volunteers with Back the Blue Florida, an online community with more than 5,000 members, had painted the mural, which features the black, white, and blue colors of the pro-police 'thin blue line' flag, on Saturday, August 1, in the middle of East Madison Street.
The fears that it would be targeted because of its message, a controversial one amidst the Black Lives Matter protests speaking out against police brutality, were realized on Tuesday, August 4. At around 10 pm, cameras on the street caught a suspect, wearing all black clothing and a black mask, getting out of the hatchback of a black vehicle, and pour what officials believe is tar on parts of the mural. The same vehicle had been seen circling the area of TPD headquarters beforehand as well, according to Fox 13 Tampa Bay.
Then, just after midnight, a second-subject was caught spray-painting 'F*** the 12' -- an anti-police slogan usually targeted at drug units -- and 'BLM' on a roll-up utility door on the north side of the TPD headquarters. Police said the person also poured red paint on the mural but said they could not release the footage because it was still under investigation.
"The Tampa Police Department expects everyone to express themselves in a lawful manner," Tampa police chief Brian Dugan said in a press release addressing the incident. "Murals painted in the city roadway need to be approved. We will continue to work with any group to make sure their First Amendment rights are heard."
Around a dozen volunteers came to repaint the defaced mural on Wednesday, August 5 but left after talking to officers at the scene. Babara Brown, one of those volunteers, said it was a "disappointment that it looks the way it is" and that they would "all like to see it the way it was."
"I would absolutely like to see it stay here," said Tamara Sugar, another volunteer. "And and I think we should have more artwork across the city that supports all the diverse groups and all the local heroes."
Kelli Campbell, one of the organizers behind the mural, said she wasn't surprised that it was defaced. "Social media has been abuzz with people who have been threatening it, trying to organize it since it went down," she said.
While the mural did not have approval from the city authorities, Campbell insisted she had been given a verbal go-ahead from Mayor Jane Castor. "While it’s true we didn’t have the piece of paper, we did have the mayor’s verbal approval and it was said in front of hundreds of law enforcement officers," she shared.