Another delay has been granted in the case against two young men who defaced a community Black Lives Matter mural in the City of Santa Cruz.
As the case makes its way through the courts, questions linger about why the mural hasn't been restored.
The large, yellow Black Lives Matter mural created by over 500 volunteers last year lines the street in front of City Hall in the 800 block of Center St. Now, there are large tire marks swirling over it. It's been this way for months after the two young men charged with vandalism filmed each other doing it in July.
As far as restoring it?
"The City of Santa Cruz has been working with closely with the organizers since the vandalism occurred," said Elizabeth Smith, spokesperson for the city. "Their desire is to take a more restorative justice approach."
That means trying to get the vandals themselves to fix it, but that's expected to take months.
Residents walking by City Hall told KCBS Radio there's plenty of people willing to volunteer their time to fix it. Some say they don't understand the wait. "This is a childish act, so the people who did this obviously never grew out of kindergarten," one man said.
The suspects – Brandon Bochat, 20, of Santa Cruz, and Hagan Warner, 19, of Boulder Creek – are facing felony charges, including a hate crime enhancement. The two were considering a plea deal that didn't materialize at a hearing earlier this month, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
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