‘Black Lives Do Matter’ street art covered in paint in NC birthplace of George Floyd
“Black Lives Do Matter” and “End Racism Now” street art was covered in paint near a controversial building in North Carolina.
White paint was “spilled” on the pavement in Fayetteville, landing over the words “Black Lives Do Matter,” photos from The Fayetteville Observer show. The city is the birthplace of George Floyd, an unarmed 46-year-old Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.
The street art surrounds the Market House, a point of contention due to its ties to slavery, WRAL reported Monday.
The Fayetteville Police Department on Monday didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment about the paint. WRAL reported the paint over the street art “looks intentional” but was waiting for confirmation from police, while The Fayetteville Observer reported it was “vandalism (that) happened some time Sunday night.”
Slaves were sold at the Market House, which was also the site where the “U.S. Constitution was ratified in North Carolina” and UNC received its charter in 1789, McClatchy News previously reported.
“The market house building is a reminder of slavery and fuels white supremacy,” organizers said in a Change.org petition calling for the structure to come down. “It should be replaced with a beautiful landmark funded by an annual city or state grant and remain a historic site.”
As of Monday, more than 124,000 people had signed the petition, according to Change.org.
Floyd’s death prompted people across the country to protest and call for an end to racism and police brutality. The officers involved in his arrest were fired and face charges.
On May 30, a peaceful protest took a turn when people started fires at the Market House, leading to some damage, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 10:12 AM with the headline "‘Black Lives Do Matter’ street art covered in paint in NC birthplace of George Floyd."
