City crews have begun removing the ‘Black Lives Matter’ street mural in D.C.

Crews in Washington, D.C., have begun removing the city’s “Black Lives Matter” street mural, a notable symbol of the 2020 protests against the killing of George Floyd, after a Republican bill targeting the mural threatened city funding. In June 2020, the city painted the phrase “Black Lives Matter” on the pavement in uppercase, yellow letters covering two blocks on 16th Street, about a quarter mile from the White House. According to a DDOT statement, work on the plaza will take six to eight weeks to complete. Tyrone Turner/WAMU Washington, D.C., Mayor Bowser said the plaza will be part of D.C.’s America 250 mural project, “where we will invite students and artists to create new murals across all eight wards.” Tyrone Turner/WAMU In 2021, Mayor Muriel Bowser said the mural would become permanent to commemorate the protests. But last week, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., introduced a bill calling for the city to paint over the mural and rename the area Liberty Plaza — or lose federal funds. “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,” Bowser wrote on X. A group of...