NEW YORK CITY Mayor Bill de Blasio has helped paint Black Lives Matter in front of Manhattan’s Trump Tower.
De Blasio was flanked by his wife, Chirlane McCray, and the Rev Al Sharpton as he helped paint the racial justice rallying cry in giant yellow letters on Fifth Avenue in front of the skyscraper.
Activists watching chanted “Whose streets? Our streets”.
The mayor announced the plan to paint Black Lives Matter in front of Trump Tower last month after earlier saying the slogan would be painted on streets at several locations around the city.
President Trump responded via Twitter that the mural would denigrate “this luxury Avenue” and “further antagonise New York’s Finest”.
De Blasio tweeted back that Black Lives Matter is “a movement to recognise and protect the lives of black people”.
Rahima Torrence (20) who was among the people on Fifth Avenue, said that even though the mural might be a symbol, “it’s the beginning of something more”.
She said the location in front of President Trump’s own skyscraper “shows that we matter and it shows to him that you can’t ignore us”.
Washington DC was the first US city to get a giant yellow Black Lives Matter mural when Mayor Muriel Bowser had it painted on the street leading to the White House.
Bowser said the painting was intended to show solidarity with Americans outraged over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
President Trump lived in Trump Tower before he took office as president, but has spent little time there since.
He changed his official residence from New York to Florida last year. His business empire is still headquartered there.
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