‘Black Lives Matter’ painted near Andrew Cuomo’s office in Albany

ALBANY — The city quietly painted “Black Lives Matter” onto Lark Street Tuesday, three blocks up from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office in the state Capitol.

The words were stenciled and painted in traditional yellow road road paint along the popular street between Hudson Avenue and Lancaster Street.

Police blocked the road as workers from Straight Line industry, a paving and asphalt company in nearby Cohoes, worked for roughly an hour.

The request came late Friday night from Tandra LaGrone, executive director of Albany LGBTQ group In Our Own Voice, and was quickly granted by Mayor Kathy Sheehan, a Democrat, according to Sheehan’s office.

“They made this request and we were happy to support that. We really want to be responsive to concerns that come from the community,” Sheehan told The Post, noting the group’s main office is also on Lark Street.

“There are those who say we need more than just a ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign. We have one above City Hall. But, this isn’t just about signs,” adding that on Monday, she also signed a local executive order banning law enforcement’s use of chokeholds, and improved bias and de-escalation training in the Albany police department.

The police department and Department of General Services worked over the weekend to clear and repair the road ahead of time.

The move comes in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by a police officer in Minnesota, and on the day of his funeral in Houston.

Floyd’s death has caused an eruption of protests across New York  — including Albany last weekend — as well as other upstate cities and the five boroughs.

Several cities across America, including Washington DC, have added their own Black Lives Matter inscription to streets.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also said Tuesday he plans to also repaint at least one street in every borough in the coming months.

“It’s a striking and beautiful symbol that reflects the pain and heartache of this time . The governor has made clear that we must do more to combat the institutionalized racism and inequality ingrained in our system and that work must ‎continue,” said Cuomo’s senior advisor Rich Azzopardi, adding the governor plans to visit the mural soon.