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Painting it yellow: New York city starts painting 'Black Lives Matter' outside Trump Tower

Painting it yellow: New York city starts painting 'Black Lives Matter' outside Trump Tower

BLM mural

New York Mayor had earlier announced that the city will be painting a 'Black Lives Matter' mural on the street directly outside the Trump Tower.

City employees began painting the phrase 'Black Lives Matter' on a stretch of Fifth Avenue, right outside the entrance of Trump Tower on Thursday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had authorised the painting of the mural, came to lend a helping hand in painting the yellow mural.

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"President Trump said we would be denigrating the luxury of Fifth Avenue. Let me tell you: we're not denigrating anything, we are liberating Fifth Avenue, we are uplifting Fifth Avenue," de Blasio said on Thursday in response to Trump's tweet last week criticizing de Blasio for "denigrating" the area.

He added, "Who built this city, who built this nation, and never got the acknowledgement, the recognition..."

"When we say 'Black Lives Matter' there is no more American statement, there's no more patriotic statement, because there is no America without Black America. We are acknowledging the truth in ourselves and in America. By saying 'Black lives matter' we are righting a wrong," de Blasio said.

Trump had earlier criticised the idea of painting the mural and had said that the mural will be destroying the luxury of the Fifth Avenue. He had also called this phrase to be a 'symbol of hate' and said, "Maybe our GREAT Police, who have been neutralized and scorned by a mayor who hates & disrespects them, won't let this symbol of hate be affixed to New York's greatest street. Spend this money fighting crime instead!"