BLM Mural Destruction and Crime
Public Statement from: Santa Cruz County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity, Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative, NAACP Santa Cruz County
Branch, Black Kings of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz Equity Collab
To: Santa Cruz County District Attorney, Jeffrey S. Rosell, Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, Anthony P. Condotti, City Attorney, Santa Cruz City Council members, and US Representative Jimmy Panetta.
Re: BLM Mural Destruction and Crime
On July, 24th, 2021, two men drove recklessly in a pickup truck at or about 7:50pm, intentionally defaced the Black Lives Matter mural that was commissioned by the City of Santa Cruz. This flagrant act of destruction, filmed by the two men, resulted in the spread of hate, fear, insult and divisiveness across social media, specifically targeted against the Black community. The Black Lives Matter mural, created on September 12, 2020 and repainted on June 20th, 2021, was initiated by the community, was voted on, and approved by the City of Santa Cruz. This heinous act of destruction and its provocation of fear and hatred must be viewed as an intentional and deliberate act against the Black community in Santa Cruz County. We, therefore, ask the District Attorney’s Office to prosecute the destruction of the Black Lives Matter mural as a hate crime and use the full capacity of the law to punish those who perpetrated the destruction.
As history shows, acts like this are often written off as innocent pranks with the perpetrators facing few substantial legal consequences. Charges are often reduced to misdemeanors or less. However, we, along with thousands of people in communities across the county, witnessed this act online and watched as it spread like wildfire across social media. It sparked vile, racist, and divisive commentary regarding not only the Black Lives Matter mural itself, but also the people who worked with the City of Santa Cruz to design and create it. These people’s safety could now be at risk, and Black residents could be targeted for expressing outrage and fear. These types of destructive, aggressive, and provocative acts serve only to heighten the social anxiety existing in the racially charged atmosphere of our country. The men who defaced the mural acted brazenly and intentionally, as evidenced by their filming the destruction of public property. This crime should not to be taken lightly, and the leaders and allies in the city of Santa Cruz and the county must act decisively to ensure that acts of hatred are confronted and prosecuted as such. Our community has to work diligently to look to our community allies and leaders who can assure us that this kind of directed act of hate is intolerable and has no place in our city, county, and country.
Therefore, we call on you, our elected leaders and fellow community members to take a stand against this flagrant and destructive act against both the Black citizens of Santa Cruz County and the commissioned public work and to stand in strong solidarity with the Black residents in our county and others who truly believe that Black lives do matter.
We ask that you join us in holding these individuals fully accountable for their actions and the dire and significant effects that those actions have on our community at large; especially our youth who ride their bikes and walk across the mural and have to see this as nothing less than an act against the value of their lives, their families, and community. We ask that you consider the mental health and psychological safety of Black community members who when they see this act and are reminded of the kind of racial terrorism that has existed in our country for over 400 years. These miscategorized small acts labeled as, “boys will be boys” leads to empowering others to believe that they too are above the law and their hatred can operate within it. What steps will you take to ensure that this case rises to the charge it deserves?
To this end we state that August 18, 2020 County adopted Resolution 176-2020, declaring racism as a public health crisis. As concerned leaders, parents, students, business owners, and citizens of Santa Cruz County wholeheartedly agree with Santa Cruz County’s adopted resolution. In this resolution, the County resolved to:
a. Incorporate educational efforts to address and dismantle racism, and expand understanding of racism and how racism affects individual and population health
b. Promote community engagement, actively engaging citizens on issues of racism, and providing tools to engage actively and authentically with communities of color and to dismantle systemic racism and protect the health and wellbeing of Black, Indigenous people of color (BIPOC)
c. Commit to review all portions of codified ordinances with a racial equity lens.
We call on you to act in good faith to the Black community of this county with this same commitment and dedication to our community that the organizers, artists, and Santa Cruz residents of all races, persuasions and backgrounds held to paint the BLM mural on the ground. As per the artist’s mission statement for the mural:
“My name is Abi Mustapha. I’m a Santa Cruz and Bay Area Artist. My intention for this
BLACK LIVES MATTER mural is a dramatic call to action, on the part of the City of
Santa Cruz’s government, organizations, businesses, and everyone involved throughout
every stage of this project. Anyone who partakes in this incredible work is also called to
the tremendously difficult, long-term act of deconstructing racism in our community and
in ourselves. This mural is more than a symbolic action. Every participant is called to
action.”
As we move forward, we call on you to:
Ensure that the perpetrators of the act of racially motivated violence against the Black community by vandalizing the BLM mural are charged with a hate crime.
Pursue the hiring of a police officer, sheriff and others dedicated to investigating and pursuing all racially motivated incidents and possible hate groups in Santa Cruz County. Create public safety protocols to ensure the safety of BIPOC community members in schools, community organizations, and all locations within our County.
Mandate race-awareness, anti-racist education in all schools/publicly funded educational institutions in Santa Cruz County, beginning in pre-school through adult education.
Identify candidates to fill a pipeline to ensure that we continue to have BIPOC elected officials at every level of government.
And finally, we ask for your commitment and support of our community at this time. We may be a smaller population of Santa Cruz residents, but this is our home and we believe that our safety and well being should be at the forefront of all actions hereafter to ensure that this is addressed in the manner that it deserves.
Thank you.
Signed,
Brenda J. Griffin, NAACP Santa Cruz County Branch
Cat Willis, Santa Cruz Black Health Matters Initiative
Thomas Sage Pedersen, Black Kings of Santa Cruz County
Abi Mustapha, SC Equity Collab Project
Joy Flynn, SC County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity
Cheryl M. Williams, SC County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity
Chris Davis, SC County Black Coalition for Justice and Racial Equity; Black Kings of Santa
Cruz County