Community members and Santa Cruz city leaders gathered Saturday to repaint the Black Lives Matter mural in front of city hall, marking the fifth year since the public art piece was first created and the second time in two years it was repaired after an act of vandalism.
Black Lives Matter mural coverage
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Organizers to repaint Santa Cruz Black Lives Matter mural in fundraiser for Thairie Ritchie
A repainting event for the Black Lives Matter mural in front of Santa Cruz City Hall will take place on Saturday, a reminder of both the resilience of the racial justice movement and to honor and support prominent community activist Thairie Ritchie, who set himself on fire standing on the mural on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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Thairie Ritchie vigil: Chants, remembrances and a demand for information
More than 300 people gathered Sunday to grieve and honor Thairie Ritchie, the prominent local civil rights activist who set himself on fire Jan. 20 atop Santa Cruz’s Black Lives Matter street mural. As Ritchie faces a “a long and challenging recovery,” several speakers recalled his activism and renewed demands for the City of Santa Cruz to release more information about the incident.
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‘This was a message’: Friends say activist’s self-immolation was an act of protest; plan Sunday vigil at city hall
Some friends of civil rights activist Thairie Ritchie say his decision to light himself on fire on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was an act of public protest. They say they want to bring attention to his message and are organizing a Sunday vigil in his honor at Santa Cruz City Hall.
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Santa Cruz police make arrest in second BLM mural vandalism
Taj Blum was arrested Tuesday for vandalizing the downtown Black Lives Matter mural with blue paint last summer. The Santa Cruz Police Department said there is currently no evidence that the incident is a hate crime.
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Santa Cruz police nearing arrest in second Black Lives Matter mural vandalism
Santa Cruz police say they are “pretty confident” they have identified the vandal who threw blue paint across the downtown Black Lives Matter mural in July, and hope to make an arrest within a few weeks.
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SCPD releases suspect description in BLM mural vandalism; city leaders address incident
The Santa Cruz Police Department released security-camera stills Wednesday of the suspect who defaced the Black Lives Matter mural with blue paint on Saturday. SCPD is investigating the incident as felony vandalism, but chief Bernie Escalante said a hate crime charge is entirely possible.
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‘Our Black community is feeling that very strongly right now’: BLM mural organizers push for hate crime charge after latest vandalism
Following the second vandalism of the Black Lives Matter mural in front of Santa Cruz City Hall, SC Equity Collab co-founder Shandara Gill said the group continues to push for a restorative justice approach even as it advocates for a hate crime charge against the perpetrator.
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SCPD treating BLM mural damage as intentional vandalism; surveillance footage shows person throwing paint
Surveillance footage from Santa Cruz City Hall shows an individual throwing paint across the downtown Black Lives Matter mural Saturday, prompting police to treat the incident as intentional. Investigators are canvassing nearby businesses to gather more surveillance footage for a better picture of the scene.
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BLM mural case update: Preliminary hearing finally set; prosecution will pursue felony hate crime charges
Tuesday’s move comes after the defense and prosecution were unable to reach a deal on cleaning the downtown Santa Cruz mural, and the prosecution’s plan to pursue felony hate crime charges would effectively prevent a path to a potential restorative justice solution that some activists have hoped for.