‘Take a Breath’ mural crumbles due to lightning strike
A reported lightning strike destroyed a mural made in remembrance of George Floyd, in Toledo, Ohio. The doppler radar showed that the strike hit at 4:30 p.m on Tuesday.
Photos surfaced on social media show part of the wall being destroyed, with fragments of the mural still remaining on the wall, along the borders.
The George Floyd Memorial mural at Summit and Lagrange in Toledo has come down. No word yet on the circumstances #13abc pic.twitter.com/SkB2eDhijB
— Shaun Hegarty (@Shaun_Hegarty) July 13, 2021
The mural, created by local artist David Rose was named “Take a Breath” honor George Floyd who was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. According to Fox News, Ross had received threats over the creation of the mural and he speculated that it could have been vandalized instead of being destroyed by lightning.
“When I did the mural, there was stuff on the wall that I couldn’t remove and that let me know how strong that structure was,” Ross told the Toledo Blade. “The lightning thing, that’s possible, but I know it didn’t just fall.”
According to 13abc Action News, the City of Toledo has already released a statement on the mural, saying they will work with the arts commission on planning for a new mural, or help the commission and the artist find a new location.
The mural was a gathering point for many protestors and memorial services have been held in front of the mural.
