Trump Tower BLM mural defaced for 3rd time, NYPD cop slips on paint dumped by vandals shouting 're-fund police'
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A New York Police Department (NYPD) police officer was injured on Saturday, July 18, after he slipped on paint while attempting to detain a woman splashing black paint on the Black Lives Matter mural painted outside Trump Tower in Manhattan. This was a third attempt to vandalize the mural at the 5th Avenue, which was created after Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered it.
The officer reportedly slipped on wet paint and hit his head on the asphalt. He was later taken to Bellevue Hospital and is expected to recover from his injuries. The incident occurred when a woman, who was wearing a shirt reading 'Jesus Matters', walked down the street and poured a can of black paint over the bright yellow mural.
The woman was later identified as the president of At The Wells Ministry, Beverly Beatty. During the incident, the woman reportedly shouted: "You wanna defund the police for black people? We want our police! Re-fund our police!" De Blasio, along with the New York City Council, earlier this month cut $1 billion from the NYPD's $6 billion annual budget after rampant protests broke out on the streets over police practices following George Floyd's death in May. Shooting incidents in the city, in June, rose by 130 percent from the same month last year.
The mayor has reportedly assigned a round-the-clock detail of three sergeants and 24 officers to protect the mural considering the latest attempts to deface it. Police, on Saturday, reportedly stood by as the woman poured black paint on the mural, and then moved to detain her after she emptied her can. The woman, however, began crawling on the ground and smeared paint on the mural with her gloved hands. "They don't care about Black lives. They're liars!" she shouted as two officers attempted to take her by the arms. At this moment, one of the officers slipped on the fresh paint and fell. Reports state that the officer sustained injuries and was seen writhing in pain as bystanders leaned over to help him. One woman said: "I think he might have broken his arm."
Shortly after, other officers came over to help the officer to his feet and walk him off to the side. Paramedics were called into the scene, and he was later transported to Bellevue. Patrolman's Benevolent Association, the union representing NYPD officers, in a tweet, wrote: "Thankfully our brother will be OK, but this nonsense needs to stop. Our city is in crisis. Paint on the street helps no one."
Meanwhile, Beatty was charged with criminal mischief and was later released on a desk appearance ticket. The woman, after being released from custody, reportedly went to another Black Lives Matter mural in Harlem and attempted to vandalize it. "This agenda, it's bigger than Black," Beatty, who is Black, told Newsmax TV. "It's a communist agenda. It's cloaked in 'for the people' but it will lead to socialism, and ultimately communism." She had reportedly given the interview before the vandalizing incident. Two other women were arrested and charged this week for defacing the same mural.