Police group decries Palo Alto BLM mural over inclusion of controversial activist

by Jana Kadah, Bay City News July 22, 2020February 9, 2022

A section of the Palo Alto Black Lives Matter mural includes a portrayal of Assada Shakur, a Black Panther Party activist who was imprisoned for her role in a 1973 killing of a police officer. A national police organization is seeking the removal of artist Cece Carpio's painting. (Photo courtesy of Palo Alto Public Art Program/Facebook)

A vibrant mural that spells out “Black Lives Matter,” painted in front of Palo Alto City Hall in June, is causing controversy.

The “e” in “Matter” is in question because a contentious figure is painted on it in the form of Assata Shakur. The National Police Association is demanding it be removed because of Shakur’s involvement in the 1973 killing of a New Jersey state trooper. Shakur remains on the FBI’s most wanted list for the killing.

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