State Watch

Atlantic City to spend $36K to redo Black Lives Matter road paint after it confuses motorists

An Atlantic City, N.J., road with “Black Lives Matter” painted on it will be repaved and redone after the lettering sparked confusion among drivers, The Associated Press reports.

The city voted Wednesday night to spend $36,000 to fix the road, which involves paving over the original writing and repainting the Black Lives Matter slogan.

The lettering had been obstructing traffic signals painted on the road, confusing motorists to the point where the road had to be closed to prevent accidents.

“It was an oversight on our part, and when we realized it, we fixed it,” Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said, according to the AP. 

The road will still sport the message, be only on a portion of road that doesn’t involve lane dividers.

In September, the city held an event during which activists were authorized to paint the words down Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in downtown Atlantic City in bright yellow block lettering similar to the style of the display in Washington, D.C., at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House.

New Jersey protestors had originally wanted to paint the message on the famous Atlantic City Boardwalk, which the city denied.