An NYPD officer has been injured after slipping on paint while trying to detain a woman who splashed black paint on the Black Lives Matter street mural outside of Trump Tower in Manhattan.
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon at the 5th Avenue mural created under the orders of Mayor Bill de Blasio, which has become a flashpoint and was defaced two other times this week.
The officer, who appeared to slip on the protester’s wet paint and hit his head on the asphalt, was transported to Bellevue Hospital and is expected to fully recover.
The shocking scene unfolded when a woman wearing a shirt reading ‘Jesus Matters’ paraded down the street pouring a can of black paint out over the bright yellow mural.
The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon at the 5th Avenue mural when a woman poured black paint on the letters
‘You wanna defund the police for black people?’ the woman shouted as officers tried to take her into custody. ‘We want our police! Re-fund our police!’ Earlier this month, $1 billion was cut from the $6 billion NYPD budget
One officer was injured when he slipped on the fresh paint and appeared to hit his head on the asphalt
Other officers rushed over to assist their colleague after he writhed on the street in pain
De Blasio has reportedly assigned a round-the-clock police detail totaling three sergeants and 24 officers to protect the 5th Avenue mural, positioned outside of Trump Tower as a message intended for the president
‘You wanna defund the police for black people?’ the woman shouted, video from the incident shows. ‘We want our police! Re-fund our police!’
Earlier this month, de Blasio and the New York City Council cut $1 billion from the NYPD’s $6 billion annual budget in response to protests over police practices in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
In June, shooting incidents rose 130 percent in the city from the same month last year, to the highest level for the month since 1996.
‘Y’all don’t care about black lives!’ the woman continued. ‘Re-fund the police!’
De Blasio has reportedly assigned a round-the-clock police detail totaling three sergeants and 24 officers to protect the 5th Avenue mural.
On Saturday, police stood by as the woman poured her paint, and then moved in to detain her after her can was empty.
‘Y’all don’t care about black lives!’ shouted the woman, who wore a ‘Jesus Matters’ shirt. ‘Re-fund the police!’
An officer attempts to detain a protester smearing paint on the Black Lives Matter mural outside of Trump Tower
The woman was finally arrested. It is the third time this week and the second time in two days that the mural has been defaced by protesters opposed to the recent anti-police backlash
Undeterred, the woman began crawling on the ground and smearing her fresh paint with gloved hands, as she continued to make her opinions known.
‘They don’t care about black lives. They’re liars!’ she shouted, as two uniformed officers tried to take her by the arms.
One of the officers is then seen slipping on the fresh paint and falling to the street.
The injured officer is seen writhing in pain as several bystanders lean over to assist him.
‘I think he might have broken his arm,’ one woman says. Other officers then come over and help the injured cop to his feet, and walk him off to the side.
Paramedics evaluated the injured officer at the scene and he was transported to Bellevue.
Paint is seen on the face of an officer from the New York Police Department as he is assisted after being injured during an attempt to detain a protester smearing paint on the Black Lives Matter mural outside of Trump Tower
Paramedics evaluated the injured officer at the scene and he was transported to Bellevue Hospital
Paint poured by protesters is seen on the Black Lives Matter mural outside of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan
‘Thankfully our brother will be OK, but this nonsense needs to stop. Our city is in crisis. Paint on the street helps no one,’ said the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, the union representing NYPD officers, in a tweet.
It is the third time this week and the second time in two days that the mural has been defaced by protesters opposed to the recent anti-police backlash.
On Friday, two women were arrested and charged with criminal mischief after splashing blue paint on the mural. Both were released with desk appearance tickets, and the mural had already been re-painted by Saturday.
On Monday, an unknown man was spotted splashing red paint on the lettering before fleeing the scene.
Protesters have vowed to continue attacking the taxpayer-funded mural as long as it remains on 5th Avenue.