City Council approves installation of 'Black Lives Matter' sign in McClatchy Park

The Black Lives Matter sign that was temporarily erected in Curtis Park during the summer of protests in 2020 will be installed at McClatchy Park in the historically Black Oak Park neighborhood after unanimous approval of the Sacramento City Council.

The sign was originally erected in the summer of 2020 in Curtis Park.

Council members voted on Tuesday, March 2 to keep the sign in the park for a year to honor the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests seeking social justice for Black communities sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. The sign is not designed to withstand the elements indefinitely.

The sign was crafted by woodworker Zach Trowbridge. He cut large letters out of wood and inscribed them with the names of Black who were killed by police around the country. A local group placed a blank wooden board next to it for people to write their own messages and the names of others who have died.

Many members of the Black community requested the return of the sign, which was taken town by Trowbridge and restored after it was vandalized.