Mural in Peoples Park painted over with, “Black Lives Matter”

A member of the Bloomington Police Department conducts an investigation at the site of a mural in Peoples Park, which was painted over with the message, “Black Lives Matter,” sometime around 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 19, 2020 in Bloomington, Ind. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan/The Bloomingtonian)

The Bloomington Police Department is investigating a case of vandalism after an unknown person or persons painted a message reading, “Black Lives Matter,” over the mural in Peoples Park Friday.

Sometime before 1:30 p.m., the City of Bloomington mural, painted during the city’s bicentennial celebration was painted over with the words, “Black Lives Matter.” Whoever painted over the mural did so with pink paint outlined with black spray paint. A gallon container for the pink paint was hastily left under the U sculpture in a bag, along with a cap for a can of black spray paint, a pair of Crocs, and other items.

A city worker called the police who soon sent an officer to investigate. The officer took the abandoned items, put them into evidence bags, and put them in the trunk of a police cruiser, then photographed the mural, which also had a message reading, “Defund BPD,” scrawled in large letters with black spray paint.

The mural painted in 2017 ago read, “Welcome to Bloomington You Belong Here!”