Protests Get Ugly As 'White Lives Matter' Gets Sprayed On Vandalised Arthur Ashe Memorial

Unrest and fury continue to dominate the vibe in Richmond, Virginia ever since violent protests broke out in the streets in retaliation to George Floyd’s Killing on May 25. The latest statue to be demolished happens to be that of African American tennis legend Arthur Ashe, in what seems like a counterattack of sorts, as the vandalized statue was emblazoned with the term "White Lives Matter."

The Arthur Ashe monument was an iconic statue, which was built as a tribute to memorialize the Richmond native in 1996, while counterbalancing a volley of statues on Memorial Avenue constructed in honor of Confederate leaders. Pictures from the act soon surfaced online, throwing light on how the base of the monument was tagged with white spray paint and had the words “white lives matter" as well as the initials “WLM.” engraved on it. Those initials were eventually painted over with “BLM.”

Residents sounded the alarm to the Richmond Police at around 10:15 am on Wednesday. Cops have reportedly maintained that they procured information on possible suspects, and urged the community to get in touch via the Crime Stoppers line, upon finding any relevant details pertaining to the miscreants responsible for the vandalism.

The vandalism of the Ashe statue comes as a subsequent response to the aggressiveness displayed by angry demonstrators who toppled, vandalized multiple Confederate statues during protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis Police Custody on May 25.

The death of the 46-year-old unarmed Black man as a result of a white cop kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes sparked worldwide protests, condemning police brutality and systematic racism prevalent across the United States of America. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Police reform on Tuesday, in a bid to propagate safe policing for safe communities.

The order came forth as a reassurance from the Trump administration that policing standards will be high and strong. The order however had activists lament about the lack of an implementation of a ban on chokeholds. Trump has condemned the attacks and has reiterated that grave consequences awaited those who were responsible for looting and mass-destruction of the statues in the United States of America.