Joshua Rhett Butler – New York Post July 14, 2021
A mural of George Floyd collapsed in Ohio, but there were conflicting accounts about whether the cause was a lightning strike or structural issues.
Police in Toledo said the large mural honoring Floyd — who was killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin last May, setting off worldwide protests — was reduced to rubble around 5 p.m. Tuesday outside a building that previously housed a bar at Summit and Lagrange streets, the Toledo Blade reported.
A weather radar operated by WTVG detected a lightning strike in the block at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the station reported.
“Right before that storm hit, I just pulled in my driveway and it wasn’t down,” Susan Keller, who lives nearby, told WTVG. “I would’ve noticed it right away. I noticed it when they put it up, I would’ve noticed it when it came down.”
Police were later seen outside the building setting up a barrier around a fallen pile of bricks, WTVG reported. Keller said she hopes the “beautiful” piece gets restored as city officials differ on what exactly caused it to come down.
City building inspector Hugh Koogan told the Blade the collapse appeared to be from natural deterioration, adding that the middle of the painted brick wall had bowed recently.
“It was just age,” Koogan said. “It just came away. It happens to the older buildings.”
A mural honoring the life and legacy of George Floyd in Toledo, OH was destroyed by a lightning strike Tuesday, according to local officials. pic.twitter.com/hKqf0J4DQL
— Guy Still (@mplstvguy) July 14, 2021
But the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department lists the cause of the collapse as a lightning strike based on witness reports and the scene, spokeswoman Sterling Rahe told the Blade.
The witness reported seeing lightning hit the building prior to the collapse, but Koogan said he spoke to the person and found no evidence to support the theory. The inspector also shot down assertions that rain factored into the fall.
The artist who created the mural, David Ross, said he’s unsure what to believe, noting that he received threats when the “Take a Breath” piece was unveiled last summer amid protests following Floyd’s in-custody death. Chauvin, 45, was later convicted of murder and received 22½ years in prison.
“When I did the mural, there was stuff on the wall that I couldn’t remove and that let me know how strong the structure was,” Ross told the Blade. “The lightning thing, that’s possible, but I know it didn’t just fall.”
Ross said he plans to rebuild the mural at a new location. The property owner, meanwhile, declined to comment but was working with a contractor to secure the site, according to the newspaper.
The building’s owner is now working to tear down the rest of the wall. City officials also released a statement saying they’ll plan a new mural or help Ross find a new location for his Floyd memorial, WTVG reported.
Toledo, Ohio has been crumbling since they cut 90 percent of Middle Class jobs there since the 70s. There is no tax base.
But if Zeus chose that place and moment to hurl his thunderbolt to the offense to European Civilization that is the G. Floyd religion, fine with me.
So Floyd has a “legacy” now? What boons did he bring to human culture? Selfishness, addiction, home invasion, yes, but we already had too much of that, unless you hate White countries. Euphemistic language has taken another leap forward here.
Yay!! I reckon God weighed in! It’s a muracle! (Typo intended!)
Thank you God.
God works in not mysterious ways also. R.C.
God is obviously an art critic.
When massive heads of negroes are being painted or sculpted (Olmecs) you know the total decomposition & implosion of white civilization isn’t far off…
“Nature is God’s Art!” Leonardo da Vinci
So God kills people accused of being under the influence of drugs, or maybe those the establishment picks as an example to terrorise the people? Why follow a cruel God? Why cheer the brutality? If you cheer on cruelty and brutality then do it right and follow the other one. At least he doesn’t pretend he’s a good guy.
Now after reading this, I believe Joe Dementia comment that, God is a white supremacist …
Too bad lightning hasn’t struck all the miscreants and deranged imbeciles who paid homage to a worthless depraved deviant who offered about as much value to humanity as a cup of hot pig piss.
Brick walls DO NOT “just bow”. If those bricks were actually tied into the existing brick wall, they’d prolly still be standing, and looking at the pic, THEY WEREN’T. The master building rejector was not fooled by a paint job either!