A mural that is painted on the wall of an exit ramp on I-5 calls for the killing of cops.
According to an e-mail from the reader, who took a photo of the graffiti in the midst of traffic, “It is right at the Sheldon exit, northbound side of the 5 freeway near van nuys CA. I have seen it for the last 3 days but not sure when it was first up. It is on a fence next to another wall.”
The graffiti comes in the wake of several murders of police officers, associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. Earlier this month, five Dallas Police Department officers were killed by a sniper at a Black Lives Movement rally. A week ago, three more officers were killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Los Angeles has a particularly sensitive history with hostility toward police, following the videotaped beating of a black motorist, Rodney King, in 1991 and the subsequent riots in 1992 when officers were acquitted. Recently, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has faced scrutiny and protest over several deaths at the hands of police, including that ofEzell Ford and Redel Jones.
Mayor Eric Garcetti has, in contrast to several other mayors, offered unequivocal support for law enforcement during the past few tumultuous weeks.