The process of removing the Black Lives Matter Plaza street mural in Washington, DC, which was created in 2020 in response to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, began on Monday. The reconstruction of the site, located near the White House and featuring large yellow letters, is following demands to cut the city’s funding unless the mural is taken down and the area is renamed “Liberty Plaza.”
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the “evolution” of the Black Lives Matter Plaza into a part of DC’s America 250 mural initiative, where students and artists will be invited to create new murals across all eight wards of the city. The removal of the mural has sparked differing reactions, with conservatives celebrating the move and some on the left criticizing it as pandering to the right.
The decision to dismantle the mural came after House Republicans threatened to withhold funding from DC if the mural was not removed. DC’s Department of Transportation estimates that the removal process will take about six to eight weeks to complete.
George Floyd and Breonna Taylor both tragically lost their lives at the hands of police officers. In response to clashes with the Trump administration over ownership of the street, Mayor Bowser personally authorized the street art. The letters were repainted in May 2021 after the street underwent repaving, and city authorities officially recognized the area as Black Lives Matter Plaza.
