A Man And Woman Were Charged With A Hate Crime For Painting Over A Black Lives Matter Mural

The pair recorded themselves painting over the Black Lives Matter mural with black paint just hours after it was finished on the 4th of July.

A man and a woman were charged with a hate crime on Tuesday after they allegedly painted over a Black Lives Matter mural in California on the 4th of July, prosecutors said.

Video of the couple using black paint to deface the street mural went viral over the weekend, where people confronted the couple as a woman used a roller to paint over a large yellow "B" and "L" in Martinez, northeast of San Francisco.

"We're sick of this narrative. That's what's wrong," says a man wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat and a shirt that read, "Four more years."

"There is no oppression. There is no racism," he says.

"Keep this shit in New York," the woman yells out. "This is not happening in my town."

The Contra Costa County District Attorney identified the couple as 42-year-old Nicole Anderson and 53-year-old David Nelson.

Officials said the large "Black Lives Matter" mural was approved after a local resident applied for a permit for the temporary mural in front of the Wakefield Taylor Courthouse.

The painting was done on July 4, but Anderson and Nelson allegedly showed up just hours later with buckets of black paint and a roller.

Video shows people confronting the two, while Nelson films Anderson painting over the letters.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

"No one wants Black Lives Matter here," Nelson is heard saying in the video. "Fucking 'Keep America Great Again.' That's right. Why don't you guys learn about history?"

Both were charged with one count of violation of civil rights, vandalism under $400, and possession of tools to commit vandalism.

If convicted, they could face up to a year in county jail.

Efforts to contact the pair by phone were not successful on Tuesday night.

"The mural completed last weekend was a peaceful and powerful way to communicate the importance of Black lives in Contra Costa County and the country," District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement. "We must continue to elevate discussions and actually listen to one another in an effort to heal our community and country."

Topics in this article

Skip to footer