Police investigate after Kalamazoo Black Lives Matter mural splattered with white paint

KALAMAZOO, MI — Police are investigating after a 200-foot Black Lives Matter mural painted on a busy city street was found with white paint dripped and splattered across it.

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety has opened a case and is investigating theincident, Deputy City Manager Jeff Chamberlain said on Friday, Aug. 7.

The mural is located on South Rose Street nearby Kalamazoo City Hall. Featuring large letters with different paintings inside each one, the mural is located alongside the Kalamazoo Public Library in the city’s downtown.

A line of white paint appeared to have been trickled over most of the mural. Larger splatters of paint cover other parts of the mural.

Nearby the defaced mural Friday, a shattered vodka bottle with paint inside sat next to the curb.

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Community members paint Black Lives Matter on Rose Street in Kalamazoo

“I love this street art,” said Tobi Hanna-Davies, who was taking photos and videos of the mural to share with friends and relatives around the country.

She noticed the vandalism as she proceeded down the street. The Black Lives Matter mural is a wonderful way of raising consciousness, Hanna-Davies said.

The apparent vandalism does not discourage her or other supporters, she said.

“We know not everybody is with us, but it’s so much better than it has been in the past,” Hanna-Davies said. “Many more people understand why we have to say Black Lives Matter instead of merely All Lives Matter, because Black lives are the ones that have not mattered.”

She said the vandalism is minor, but she believes the majority of people in the community are supporters of the ideas the mural represents.

“We have to love this into reality,” Hanna-Davies said. “We don’t hate people that can’t see this truth yet. They’ll come along when they understand it’s not a threat.”

The artist behind the Kalamazoo mural declined to comment on the incident.

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