The Board of Commissioners, leadership and staff of Washtenaw County condemns the hate and vitriol aimed at one of our county’s greatest symbols of community and inclusion. We are disappointed but not deterred by the vandalizing of the “Black Lives Matter” mural in Riverside Park in Ypsilanti. We stand in solidarity with the City of Ypsilanti and the dedicated community members who worked to make both the Riverside Park mural and the downtown mural a reality. Those efforts best reflect the partnership, unity and respect shared by the residents in our county. We continue to uplift these values.
While we are disappointed in the faction of self-proclaimed “patriots” who defaced the mural, our focus is and will remain ensuring that the county is a welcoming and equitable place for all. We are even more resolved to ensuring that our county government sets policies, allocates resources, supports community, and creates a culture that is welcoming and inclusive of people of all races and all walks of life. Hate has no place here. Black Lives Matter in Washtenaw County.