KNOXVILLE, Tenn — Knoxville Police are investigating after the Black Lives Matter mural in front of Austin-East Magnet High School may have been vandalized early Wednesday morning.
According to KPD, around 1:20 a.m., an officer noticed a black paint-like substance had been poured onto the road in two separate places.
The mural features large block letters reading "Black Lives Matter" on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. It was just completed earlier this month.
When the officer spotted it, the substance was still wet and being spread by traffic driving through it.
Officers called for assistance from the Service Department to spread absorbent on the impacted area and to address any traffic safety issues.
