A California neighborhood has decked out their sidewalks with ‘Black Lives Matter’ murals and messages in chalk in solidarity with a mother and her three-year-old daughter after their BLM art was repeatedly erased by a white man.
In late July Manette Sharick and her three-year-old daughter Zhuri drew ‘Black Lives Matter’ in chalk on the sidewalk outside their Concord home for several days.
But by the following morning the word ‘Black’ was mysteriously erased.
One day Sharick’s home security camera caught the culprit – a white man named Jim who poured water over the word to wash it away.
Sharick filmed the moment she confronted Jim as he used a water bottle to pour water on the chalk message and warned he’ll continue to remove the word ‘as long as she keeps on doing this.’
‘I was only pouring across the word black because I believe all lives matter,’ Jim said to KGO.
In late July Manette Sharick and her three-year-old daughter Zhuri drew ‘Black Lives Matter’ in chalk on the sidewalk outside their Concord, California home for nearly a week. But by the following morning the word ‘Black’ was mysteriously erased
One day Sharick’s home security camera caught the culprit – a white man named Jim who poured water over the word to wash it away
She filmed herself confronting Jim after she caught him in the act of using a water bottle to wash away ‘Black’ in ‘Black Lives Matter’. He said he didn’t agree with it and claimed ‘all lives matter’, even though the movement is meant to heal and end systemic racism against black people
‘I don’t care what nationality, sexual orientation or any of that, we are all human beings,’ he added.
‘I just wanted to teach my daughter that Black lives matter, Black culture matters, Black communities matter, and that we are the movement for Black lives,’ Sharick, who is Black, told CNN. ‘I was shocked that someone could be purposefully doing this. It hurt a lot, it made me extremely upset.’
In the clip Sharick films Jim as he’s on a bike in front of her home in the act of drenching the chalk mural with water.
‘Racist a**. You are racist and you’re on my camera too,’ Sharick says. ‘And I will call the police. Go! Go!’
‘You can’t make me go,’ he replied. ‘You call the police and I’ll stay right here.’
‘You come prepared with water bottles so you can erase this everyday. You have that much hatred in your hearts against blacks,’ she shouted, her emotions running high.
Jim tried to reason, ‘Yeah, look at our neighborhood.’
‘I just wanted to teach my daughter that Black lives matter, Black culture matters, Black communities matter, and that we are the movement for Black lives. I was shocked that someone could be purposefully doing this. It hurt a lot, it made me extremely upset,’ Sharick, who is Black, said
Sharick replied that they all live in the neighborhood and he had no right to wash away her toddler’s drawings just because he disagreed with it.
‘As long as you keep on doing this I’ll keep on coming,’ Jim says refusing to budge.
The erasure was a shock for Sharick, who has lived in the neighborhood for 27 years.
She shared video of the confrontation on Instagram and Facebook on July 30 from where the video went viral.
The next day dozens of people, both neighbors and friendly locals alike, showed up in front her of home to cover the sidewalks on the block in BLM supporting messages to support her.
Neighbor Ilana Israel Samuels said she came out to help out with the chalk messages to support Sharick as she faced discrimination.
A day after posting video of her confrontation with Jim online dozens of people showed up to her home to help cover all the sidewalks in the neighborhood with messages of love, kindness and in support of Black Lives Matter
Social media users shared their Black Lives Matter art on social media in support of Sharick and her family
And since the neighborhood came out to support her, Jim has not tried to erase the message again
‘My family and I are grateful for the help and support we have received from the community,’ Sharick said on the neighborhood’s outpour of support
‘People need to stand with their Black neighbors in support. All lives can’t matter until Black lives matter. Right now, Black lives are being harmed, murdered by police, and they are constantly living in fear,’ Samuels said to CNN.
Neighbors came out in full force to write messages of love, hope and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Sharick says she and her daughter are inspired to keep on going with their messages, in spite of the backlash.
And since the neighborhood came out to support her, Jim has not tried to erase the message again.
‘I am deeply thankful and blessed for the special, unique, amazing people in my life who supported me, uplifted me and comforted me. My family and I are grateful for the help and support we have received from the community,’ Sharick said.