A man and a woman who were filmed painting over the words “Black Lives Matter” on a road in California last week were charged with a hate crime and other offenses, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
Anderson allegedly painted over the yellow letters, which had been permitted by the city, with black paint on July 4, while Nelson directly aided in her alleged criminal conduct.
“We must address the root and byproduct of systemic racism in our country. The Black Lives Matter movement is an important civil rights cause that deserves all of our attention,” District Attorney Diana Becton said in a statement.
“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,” she said. “We must continue to elevate discussions and actually listen to one another in an effort to heal our community and country.”
“There is no oppression. There is no racism. It’s a leftist lie,” Nelson can be heard saying.
“It appeared that the couple came to the mural with cans of paint and a roller with the specific purpose of vandalizing over the mural,” Sappal said. “The community spent a considerable amount of time painting this mural only to have the suspects destroy it by dumping and rolling paint over part of the message.”
Nelson and Anderson have been charged with violation of civil rights, vandalism under $400, and possession of tools to commit vandalism or graffiti. If convicted of the misdemeanor charges, the pair could each face up to a year in county jail.