Black Lives Matter Plaza Being Dismantled in Washington, D.C.

Black Lives Matter Plaza began to be dismantled this week in Washington, D.C., with crews beginning work on Monday to remove the mural featuring large yellow capital letters spelling out “BLACK LIVES MATTER” across a two-block stretch of road between H and K Streets near the White House.

The move comes after Republican Congressman Andrew Clyde of Georgia introduced a bill that would withhold funding from D.C. if the plaza is not renamed. Text of Clyde’s proposal can be seen here.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, an early supporter of the plaza at its inception in June 2020, put out a statement on March 4th regarding the “evolution” of the plaza. The statement reads:

“We have long considered Black Lives Matter Plaza's evolution and the plaza will be part of DC's America 250 mural project, where we will invite students and artists to create new murals across all eight wards. The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a very painful period, but now we can't afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference. The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern. Our focus is on economic growth, public safety, and supporting our residents affected by these cuts.”

Watch video showing crews out on Friday, March 14th dismantling the plaza here: