Crowds Gather to Celebrate Painting of Black Lives Matter Mural on 5th Avenue

Thursday, July 9, 2020 - Midtown Manhattan:

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio turned out to assist in painting the much anticipated Black Lives Matter street mural on Fifth Avenue. Right in front of Trump Tower, this street mural joins the ranks of the completed murals in Brooklyn and Harlem, following last month’s announcement of de Blasio’s plan to implement Black Lives Matter street murals all over the city. Joined by his wife, Chirlane McCray, as well as civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, and dozens of volunteers and activists, de Blasio assisted in roller painting the yellow letters onto the temporarily closed off street.

Mayor de Blasio delivered an emotional speech to the growing crowd, stressing the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight for racial equality. Responding to President Trump’s claims that the BLM mural would be “denigrating the luxury avenue,” de Blasio emphatically exclaimed that the mural will only “liberate Fifth avenue,” through its messaging of unity and justice.

The Rev Al Sharpton afterwards told NYC VIBE that this is all just the beginning of the revolution!

New Yorkers flocked to the street in celebration of the mural throughout the day, taking advantage of the rarely closed off street. People were seen dancing and documenting the the completed mural, while crowds continued to chant “Whose street?” “Our street!”