Black Lives Matter mural in Redwood City washed away after suggestion to paint MAGA 2020 – KRON4

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KRON) City officials along the Peninsula quietly remove a Black Lives Matter mural after someone suggests putting up a Trump 2020 slogan.

The Redwood City mural was put up on the 4th of July with approval from city officials but it was washed away last week after a local attorney requested that mural supportingPresident Trump be painted nearby.

Well, the artist says hes thankful the city allowed him to paint the mural in the first place.

His issue is that a human rights message was possibly washed away because of someones political stance.

On the other hand, the woman calling for the Trump campaign slogan to be painted says both ideas are free speech and comparable.

Redwood Citys Black Lives Matter mural on Broadway has been quietly washed away.

The mural was painted a little over two weeks ago but as a new proposal emerged, the bright yellow letters soon vanished.

They made the decision to take Black Lives Matter off the street as the first person that proposed the MAGA 2020, Dan Pease said.

Dan Pease was surprised by the removal considering the city supported the mural and even supplied the paint.

Then last week the 17-foot letters were erased shortly after a local real estate attorney requested a Trump campaign slogan be painted nearby.

Black Lives Matter is not a political statement. Black Lives Matter is a human rights issue, its a call, its a message, its a symbol, Pease said.

Maria Rutenberg argues the public space was being used to promote a limited private agenda and that Redwood City has become an arbiter of private political expression.

A statement to KRON4 reads in part:

Governments cannot and should not get to pick and choose who should be allowed to speak. Now that the cities open up asphalts as public forums, everyone with any political message is free to write their own. I, for one, would like to paint MAGA 2020. At a time like this, its especially important that we allow free and open political discussion for all sides, not just BLM.

Pease says city officials told him last week they planned to remove the mural for violating traffic and vehicle codes but he believes the quick removal came in fear of any legal pressure.

Pease would like to discuss any differences with people in his community who think Black Lives Matter is a political message.

I dont agree with MAGA 2020 but if somebody wants to support Trump wants to put MAGA 2020 and the city of Redwood City wants to support that then more power to that individual, Pease said.

Pease says hed be more than happy to paint the mural again but only if the city wanted him to.

He hopes people were at least inspired by the former mural.