Police in Santa Cruz, California, arrested two white men on suspicion of vandalism. Black people’s fate is also fate mural.
The Santa Cruz Police Department said that on Saturday morning, the police arrived at 800 Central Street and found that the mural painted on the ground had been stained by the traces of vehicle trampling.
The police said investigators checked surveillance video, which showed a car was deliberately “burnt” on the mural.
Late on Saturday, police confirmed that two men-19-year-old Hagan Warner and 20-year-old Brandon Bochat-had been arrested for vandalism. Both were charged with felony vandalism and conspiracy to felony and were sent to Santa Cruz Prison.
Santa Cruz Police Department
Santa Cruz Police Chief Andrew Mills said at a press conference on Sunday that Bochat of Santa Cruz and Hagen of Boulder Creek have been released on bail and will be subpoenaed this week.
Mills also stated that other suspects were also involved in the sabotage and urged them to stand up voluntarily. He pointed out that the police are continuing to investigate the incident and review social media posts.
Mills said the police department will seek hate crime charges if necessary. “We are still working hard to collect information and data, what I don’t want to do is raise a weak case,” he said.
But he added: “We can see what’s happening here. It’s not just a few kids playing burnout on the street. This is vandalism.”
The mural in question is considered a public art installation and was painted after the murder George Freud Last year, Mayor Donna Meyers said.
Meyers said it was mentored and funded by community members, “They want to remind black members of our community of the struggles endured locally and nationally.”
She described the destruction of the mural as “heartbreaking” but said it would be repaired soon.
“I can assure you that all my city council colleagues will work closely with our community to repair this damage as soon as possible, and more importantly, combat the root cause of this behavior,” she added.
Santa Cruz Deputy Mayor Sonja Brunner (Sonja Brunner) said at a press conference that this incident shows that more needs to be done to combat racism in the community.
Warning not to minimize vandalism
“Although a lot of progress has been made, there is still a lot to happen,” she said. “As a community member, as a woman of color, it’s very, very difficult. I’m suppressing some feelings.”
At the press conference, Mills also took the opportunity to condemn anyone who tried to minimize sabotage.
“For those who try to minimize the incident and deny responsibility, [and say] ‘Oh, they are just hanging out kids’…you are ashamed,” he said. “It makes a lot of sense for this community, and we will do our best to ensure that those who do this are brought to justice. “
“This is a huge harm to the members of our community. As a police department, we will invest the necessary resources to protect all our community members, including the black community.”
Brenda Griffin, chairman of the Santa Cruz County of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said in a statement: “This crime makes me very sad. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is very pleased that the police attach great importance to this crime. Investigation. This is very frustrating because some people still don’t get black lives and it’s important. This mural is a symbol of hope. We want our young people to know that we have their support.”
Anyone with information about the case is urged to call (831) 420-5820 to contact the Santa Cruz Police Department Investigation Team.
Santa Cruz Police Department
