Furious New Yorkers paint a giant BLM-style 'f*** Cuomo and de Blasio' mural onto a Brooklyn street amid surge in crime in the city
New Yorkers sent a blunt message to their governor and mayor this weekend - by painting 'F*** Cuomo and de Blasio' in giant letters down a Brooklyn street.
The offensive graffiti appeared at around 1am on Saturday morning and stretched for almost an entire city block in a style similar to city-endorsed projects supporting the Black Lives Matter.
Earlier this summer NYC mayor Bill de Blasio approved BLM street murals at five city locations - which fast became a target for vandalism.
But while the city protected the official murals, the latest painting was covered up by the Dept. of Transportation in less than 24 hours.
The graffiti came amid criticism of Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio over their leadership during the coronavirus pandemic, with ongoing restrictions on gatherings and indoor dining leaving many New York businesses devastated.
The city has also seen a surge in crime in 2020, with the murder rate soaring by 27 percent and gang violence rising by more than 50 percent.
New Yorkers sent a blunt message to their governor and mayor this weekend - by painting 'F*** Cuomo and de Blasio' in giant letters down a Brooklyn street
The mural was painted in Williamsburgh just after 1am on Saturday morning with several people taking part
The painted mural was still there by the early hours of Saturday morning, although the police were on scene too
The mural appeared to stretch for almost an entire city block in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The style of the mural was similar to that of those used in Black Lives Matter earlier this year
The graffiti was similar to city-approved Black Lives Matter murals painted earlier this summer. Pictured, one of the murals that was painted on Fifth Avenue in front of Trump Tower
The message was painted in Williamsburg during the early hours of Saturday morning while an annual block party that was doubling as a 'small business owner protest' was taking place.
'A few partygoers got the idea to paint in huge letters, yellow paint with rollers on North 15th, 'F*** Cuomo and de Blasio,' an unidentified attendee told Fox News on Sunday.
'The party continued. Everyone took photos. It was a big hit. The crowds cheered, even the cops chuckled.'
The 'artwork' had been covered up with black paint by the Department of Transportation by 10pm on Saturday night.
The NYPD have confirmed a criminal mischief complaint was filed over the incident and an investigation is ongoing.
Mayor Bill de Blasio is seen helping paint the Black Lives Matter mural in July
De Blasio and his wife Chirlane McCray are seen painting a Black Lives Matter mural in July
Those behind the Williamsburg mural appeared to be unhappy at the response to the coronavirus pandemic by the states governor Andrew Cuomo, pictured
Harrowing new NYPD data published in the 2020 Mayor’s Management Report Thursday night revealed a staggering 352 New Yorkers were murdered in the 2020 fiscal year - an extra 74 deaths compared to 2019.
The biggest crime spike was for gang-motivated incidents which skyrocketed 52 percent compared to the previous year.
While the report from City Hall attributes this particular surge to the NYPD 'improving its capacity to more accurately identify incidents as gang related', the findings come at a time when drive-by shootings and gun crime are becoming increasingly commonplace across the city.
Overall, the rate of major felony crimes ticked up slightly by 1 percent compared to the previous year.
The rate of burglaries in the Big Apple also increased by 20 percent and grand larceny of autos by 30 percent.
The pandemic has cost New York City $9 billion in revenue and forced a $7 billion cut to the city's annual budget. It also needs to plug a $4.2 billion deficit in next year's budget. The city has also asked the federal government for aid, but so far none appears to be coming.
Rich New Yorkers have been leaving the city in droves amid the pandemic and escalating violent crime. Between March 1 and May 1, more than 420,000 fled, many of whom resided in the city's richest neighborhoods, including SoHo, and the Upper East Side.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has begged them to return, and also threatened to raise the tax on the wealthy to plug the hole in the city's budget deficit.