Activists painted a mural in the street outside Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ DC home on Wednesday, demanding that he take better care of his workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
The massive mural reads “Protect Amazon workers,” with images of workers in medical masks above the text.
Activist Marissa J. Lang live-tweeted the street art protest, writing that “they’ve been at it for nearly an hour. Police have mostly kept their distance, letting the painting continue. No movement at all from the #DC Bezos residence.”
Nine people worked on the mural while wearing medical masks and practicing social distancing by keeping six feet apart, according to those at the scene. It took approximately one hour to complete.
There were no arrests for the protest art.
Some Amazon workers are planning to strike on May 1, citing lack of personal protective gear and not enough hazard pay. The company is currently paying $2 per hour hazard pay through May 16.
The Hill reports that over 130 Amazon facilities have reported at least one employee testing positive for the coronavirus.
Workers who do not want to risk going in during the pandemic will now have to take an unpaid leave of absence, which many employees have protested as being unfair.
“I’m one of the people that is very anxious about this reduction of unlimited unpaid time off,” Rachel Belz, a worker at an Amazon fulfillment center in New Jersey, said on a call with reporters.
Belz said that she has been staying home since mid-March over concerns about the virus.
“Because what that means is you basically have to choose between your job and getting your family sick,” she added.
In a statement about the protests from workers, Amazon has said that they offer “flexibility with leave of absence options, including expanding the policy to cover COVID-19 circumstances, such as high-risk individuals or school closures.”