"What it says is America is towering over hate," said Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President.
"I think it's a great symbol. I hope it goes beyond that. I hope you, the media, are covering Black Lives Matter," said Amber Fairweather, a participant.
At Foley Square Thursday morning, city council members gathered at a different Black Lives Matter mural to unveil the co-naming of the street to Black Lives Matter Boulevard.
President Trump criticized the one in front of his hotel, tweeting it's a symbol of hate, and it would denigrate 5th Avenue.
NYC is cutting Police $’s by ONE BILLION DOLLARS, and yet the @NYCMayor is going to paint a big, expensive, yellow Black Lives Matter sign on Fifth Avenue, denigrating this luxury Avenue. This will further antagonize New York’s Finest, who LOVE New York & vividly remember the....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2020
....horrible BLM chant, “Pigs In A Blanket, Fry ‘Em Like Bacon”. 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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2020
"To tweak him, and anger him, and insult him, which is exactly what he does, it has to be done," said Paul Rossen, a participant.
Mayor Bill de Blasio says the murals are to honor members of the black community who helped build New York.
Members of the movement taking part in the painting hoping the message lasts long after the paint dries.
RELATED: Mike Pence declines to say 'Black Lives Matter' when pressed in interview
"Black lives do matter, and I hope it's not just something written on street and driven over," Fairweather said.
As more murals pop up across New York City, a Black Lives Matter mural was unveiled in Harlem on Wednesday morning.
The big, bold letters were drawn on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard between 125th and 127th streets. It was painted by local artists and community group members.
The mayor has pledged to paint multiple Black Lives Matter murals across the city.
There are currently two other murals in Brooklyn and one on Staten Island.
You also don’t know that NY’s Finest are now a majority people of color. They already know Black Lives Matter.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) July 1, 2020
There is no “symbol of hate” here. Just a commitment to truth.
Only in your mind could an affirmation of people’s value be a scary thing.
