Redwood City, California, near San Francisco, has removed a Black Lives Matter mural from one of its streets after a resident asked to paint a "MAGA 2020" mural on the same street, KPIX reports.
Dan Pease of Redwood City obtained permission from the city to paint "Black Lives Matter" on Broadway as part of the city's July 4th celebration, and the city even supplied him with yellow poster board paint.
"Because we were using the poster board paint that would eventually deteriorate over time, my understanding from them was that the mural would last as long as the paint lasted," Pease told the station.
But the city washed the mural away in the middle of the night Thursday after it was contacted by local attorney Maria Rutenburg. Rutenburg said if the street was now considered a public forum, she wanted to pain her own sign reading "MAGA 2020," short form of President Donald Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again."
"I saw a 'Black Lives Matter' sign appearing on Broadway Street on the asphalt, and I figured that's gonna be a new public space, open for discussion, and I wanted to get my message out, too," Rutenburg said.
The city did not explain the reasoning for removing Pease's sign other than to say it created a traffic hazard.
Pease said he understands the city's position, but did not consider his mural to be a political statement.
"I have no hard feelings to the city council," he said. "I am disappointed but, at the same time, I am very grateful that they allowed me to put that message on Broadway."
Black Lives Matter murals have shown up on streets in several American cities in the wake of the killing of George Floyd after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for almost eight minutes. His death sparked protests across the nation and world.
The first mural was sanctioned by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, and another in New York City was painted in front of Trump Tower with the help of Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch has sued in D.C. to have its own motto, "Because No One Is Above the Law!" painted on the streets after protesters added "Defund the Police" to the D.C. mural.
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