D.C. begins removing Black Lives Matter Plaza near White House
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D.C. began dismantling Black Lives Matter Plaza on Monday, less than a week after Mayor Muriel Bowser announced it would be transformed.
Why it matters: The mural near the White House went up in summer 2020 to protest police brutality and as a rebuke to President Trump in his first term.
The latest: Trump posted video Monday evening on TruthSocial of crews jackhammering the asphalt and shoveling off debris.
Zoom in: The work is expected to last six to eight weeks.
- The yellow mural spanned two blocks on 16th Street leading to the White House.
- D.C. spent about $5 million in 2021 making the plaza "permanent" and pedestrian-friendly.
Bowser said last Tuesday it would be transformed into an art-driven celebration of America's 250th birthday next year — part of D.C.'s America 250 mural project.
Members of Black fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi — one of the oldest Black fraternities in the country — honored the plaza Sunday before its removal, per NBC4.
- "You can erase this," member Richard Mattox said, "but you cannot erase our history."
Friction point: Bowser's decision came after U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican from Georgia, introduced a bill last Monday that would withhold highway funds from the District if BLM Plaza remains. The bill would rename it Liberty Plaza.
- Bowser's office did not respond to Axios' questions about renaming the area.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include details of President Trump's post.