California police officers sue city over Black Lives Matter mural

A group of police officers filed a lawsuit against a Californian city over a mural that they said contained anti-police images.

According to The Daily Post, five officers sued Palo Alto, arguing that the Black Lives Matter mural approved by the city includes images that constitute harassment against law enforcement.

The mural, which was painted in front of Palo Alto City Hall in June of 2020 following George Floyd’s murder, reportedly featured an image of Joanne Chesimard, also known as Assata Shakur, who was convicted in 1973 of killing a New Jersey state trooper. It was set to remain up for a year, but was removed in November, the Daily Post reported on Wednesday.

An image of the logo for the New Black Panthers was reportedly included in the mural. The organization has been identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, the news outlet reported.

“Law enforcement officers, including Plaintiffs, were forced to physically pass and confront the Mural and its offensive, discriminatory, and harassing iconography every time they entered the Palo Alto Police Department,” the lawsuit obtained by the Post stated.

According to the lawsuit, law enforcement officials had previously alleged that the mural violated California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, but were met with resistance from the city.

“[Palo Alto] ratified the conduct and insisted that it remain and persist,” the lawsuit says.

The National Police Association in July of 2020 reportedly urged the city to remove the mural, saying it was an “atrocity” to have an image of Chesimard in front of city hall.

Molly Stump, the city’s attorney, told the news outlet that Palo Alto has not been served with the lawsuit.