Members of the Santa Cruz Police Department have arrested and charged two young men with felony vandalism and conspiracy to commit a felony. According to reports, the two suspects have been accused of performing burnouts on the mural and leaving it with tire tread marks.
The Santa Cruz Police Department has not released the names of the two men that have been taken into custody. However, the grandfather of one suspect provided a brief statement regarding the matter.
“They are kids, they did something stupid. They made a mistake,” he told NBC News.
The police are not examining the matter as "kids" doing "something stupid." In fact, the crime is being investigated as a hate crime, which could result in a heftier sentence for the two suspects involved.
“The Black, the community at large, the people of color in our community felt this was a personal attack,” Santa Cruz Police Chief Andy Mills said.
“Let’s face it, of the 5,000-plus street segments in our city, that was the only one? We can see what took place here.”
Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence in northern California as of late. Earlier this month, multiple Black Lives Matter Adopt-A-Highway signs in El Dorado County were defaced. The assailants crossed out "Black Lives Matter" on one sign and another sign was removed.
“It’s a means of intimidation, and it was specifically centered around Black lives,” Michelle Greene of Black Lives Matter El Dorado County explained.
In contrast to the situation in Santa Cruz, California, no suspects have been identified in the crime that took place in El Dorado County.
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