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Berkeley Joins Cities Across The Country Putting 'Black Lives Matter' Murals On Streets

BERKELEY - Murals declaring Black Lives Matter have popped up city streets as far away as Washington, D.C. and as close Oakland – now, the city of Berkeley.

"When I saw Black Lives Matter get painted in D.C., I thought we gotta do it in Berkeley, we're Berkeley," said architect Yes Duffy,

He made layouts for what the mural could look like, and not just for this city, home to the free speech movement.

"I did a quick layout, all dimensions and it's not just for Berkeley, it's for anyone in the nation or the world to use it as a mural."

Berkeley's city manager has signaled approval and the mural will be discussed at Tuesday night's city council meeting.

"We're going to have some deliberations on what's it's going to say outside of Black Lives Matter - we know we want to say that and I think we're going to have further conversations about the locations," said District 8 Councilwoman Lori Droste.

Possible locations include Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, in front of the police station, or on Milvia Street in front of City Hall.

"I think that would be amazing and I would prefer for it to be right here. Going to Berkeley High, we need that unity and having that right there," said Berkeley High student Keyanna Hardison. "It's going to symbolize a lot of unity, hope and maybe even some push we need in the future to get through what's going on right now."

Also on the City Council agenda Tuesday night are the "Eight Can't Wait" police reforms. Four of those measures are already codified within Berkeley Police Department, including a ban on chokeholds.

"I think we're all united that we're serving our community in an equitable manner," Droste said.

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