AN anti-abortion activist painted the phrase “Baby Lives Matter” on the street in front of two women’s health clinics in Charlotte, NC this week.
Activists in Charlotte, North Carolina, quickly covered up the slogan, an anti-abortion twist on “Black Lives Matter,” by painting “Your body your choice” and “BLM” on top of it.
Local police responded to reports of vandalism at the two locations, Planned Parenthood and A Preferred Women’s Health Center, on Wednesday and are investigating the incident, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department told local news channel WBTV.
One of the health clinics, a Planned Parenthood location in the Cherry section of Charlotte, has been targeted over the past week, according to Queen City Nerve.
“We’ve gotten reports of harassment and racist remarks against patients and residents in the historically Black neighborhood over the last week,” the paper tweeted.
Anti-abortion activists have targeted these clinics before, with 2,000 protesters showing up at A Preferred Women’s Health Center in 2016. More recently, protesters outside the clinic this April were cited for violating social distancing guidelines, with eight arrested for refusing to leave.
Though a police investigation into this week’s incident is ongoing, there is no mystery about the identity of the culprit.
Tayler Hansen, a conservative social media personality, claimed responsibility on Twitter for the “Baby Lives Matter” graffiti.
Hansen is the face of a campaign to paint “Baby Lives Matter” on roadways near women’s health centers around the country. He appears to have a significant operation backing his project.
He has accrued a following of 16,013 people on Twitter and made over $18,000 and counting from his activities via crowdfunding.
According to the his Gofundme, Hansen has painted his slogan in Richmond, Va.; Salt Lake City, Ut.; and Washington, D.C.
The Gofundme also shows Hansen is partnering for his fundraising with Arsenal Media Group, a production company specializing in influencer marketing that touts the content it has created for conservative politicians.
Also apparently affiliated with the campaign is Benjamin “Benny” Johnson, the Chief Content Officer for conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA.