The mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, wants a mural bearing the words black lives matter to be created in front of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the headquarters of the organisation belonging to United States president Donald Trump. There is just one small problem: he disagrees.

Black lives matter is not only the slogan that in recent months, following the murder of an African American man named George Floyd by a police officer, has resounded in thousands of squares across the United States and beyond. It is also the name of an international activist movement committed to fighting racism.

How New York's mayor responded to Trump

Trump declared that the mural would be nothing more than "a symbol of hate". Mayor de Blasio's response was not long in coming:

There is no symbol of hate here. Only an anthem to the truth. Only in your mind can the affirmation of people's worth represent something frightening. African Americans built Fifth Avenue and most of this nation. Your "luxury" comes from their labour, for which they were never compensated. We are simply honouring them. The fact that you experience this as a denigration of your street is the very definition of racism.

The work will therefore go ahead. Next week. Despite the president having described it as not only despicable but also costly, claiming that the money could instead be used to "fight crime". On 30 June, the New York City administration approved a one-billion-dollar cut to the budget allocated to the local police department (NYPD), as a sign of solidarity with protesters who are pointing the finger at abuses of power by law enforcement.

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani ✓ @NYCMayor

𝕏

@realDonaldTrump You also don’t know that NY’s Finest are now a majority people of color. They already know Black Lives Matter.

There is no “symbol of hate” here. Just a commitment to truth.

Only in your mind could an affirmation of people’s value be a scary thing.

♥ 4291💬 662 1 lug 2020 · Apri su X →

Two thirds of Americans support the Black lives matter movement

The governor of New York State, Andrew Cuomo, also weighed in on the debate, arguing that the cuts are not enough: what is needed is a thorough police reform. Across the entire country, officers killed 576 people in the past year alone. Since 2013, African Americans have accounted for 28 per cent of victims despite making up 13 per cent of the population.

Two thirds of American adults support the Black lives matter movement, according to surveys by the Pew research center, the well-known research centre based in Washington. In New York, in addition to the murals already in place in honour of Black people, new ones will be created: one in the Harlem neighbourhood and another at the southern tip of Manhattan, known as the financial heart of the city. Works in Queens and the Bronx are also under consideration.