"Black Lives Matter" is seen painted on 16th Street in Washington D.C. (Credit: @MurielBowser/Twitter)
Three white men have sued Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bower for a Black Lives Matter mural painted on the street leading to the White House, according to a report from The Washington Times.
Former Judge Advocate General Chris Servier, lobbyist Tex Christopher and self-proclaimed street preacher Rich Penkoski filed a complaint in federal court alleging the large yellow block lettering violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause and calling Black Lives Matter a “cult orthodoxy.”
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The suit also criticizes the mayor for renaming the street outside Lafayette Square “Black Lives Matter Plaza,” claiming that it’s a “legal weapon against non-observers of the Black Lives Matter religion” and seeks recompense for “mental anguish and emotional distress,” The Daily Mail reports.
Bowser originally commissioned artists to paint the Black Lives Matter mural on 16th Street as a sign of solidarity amid nationwide protests against the death of George Floyd, who died at the hands of Minneapolis police while unarmed on May 25.
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Christopher, Penkoski and Servier suggest in their complaint that the mural be removed and replaced with murals that say “All Lives Matter,” “Green Lives Matter,” in reference to the National Guard, or “Blue Lives Matter,” in honor of law enforcement.
