Work crews in the District started Monday removing the Black Lives Matter mural that was painted on a city street two blocks from the White House five years ago.
The mural, spelling “BLACK LIVES MATTER” in bright yellow letters, covered 16th Street NW and was painted in June 2020, converting the pavement into a pedestrian zone called Black Lives Matter Plaza.
Following President Trump’s return to the White House, it was unknown whether D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser would allow for the mural to be eliminated. But then Rep. Andrew Clyde, Georgia Republican, introduced legislation to withhold millions in federal funding from the District unless the mural was removed and the plaza renamed.
Nadine Seiler was a lone demonstrator protesting the removal of the mural and said that Ms. Bowser “caved” to the “fascist” Trump administration.
“They still like their Confederate generals and different Confederate people,” she said. “It’s the same thing. I’m a Black person – Black Lives Matter every day, 24/7, 365, 366 days. Removing this is not going to do anything for me.”
Erasing the mural leading to the White House is expected to take six to eight weeks and cost about $610,000.
The mural was painted on the street in June 2020, after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis law enforcement officer triggered an eruption of protests and riots across U.S. cities.
Ms. Bowser, a Democrat, said during a town hall meeting that the mural was an important part of the city’s history, but “now our focus is on making sure our residents and our economy survive.”
She did not specify whether the removal of the mural was in response to any specific threats by Congress or the White House.
Ms. Bowser said the decision had previously been made. In a social media post last week, she said that the plaza would be redesigned as part of a citywide mural project related to the country’s 250th birthday.
