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Construction crews began dismantling Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House on Monday, March 10, following Republican threats to cut the city’s transportation funding unless the site was renamed.
The plaza, originally established by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in 2020 as a rebuke to then-President Donald Trump, became a symbolic landmark following nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd by a police officer. However, its removal follows a bill introduced by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) on March 3, which sought to withhold federal funding unless the mural was replaced with a new designation, “Liberty Plaza.”
Mayor Bowser defended the decision, stating that while the mural had inspired millions, her administration could not afford to ignore the potential loss of federal funds. “We couldn’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference,” she wrote on social media, adding that her office had long planned to redesign the site.
Despite its significance, the plaza faced criticism from some activists, including the local chapter of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, which had previously called the mural a “performative distraction” from meaningful policy change.
As crews removed the 48-foot-wide mural—originally commissioned for over $4 million—longtime D.C. resident Dianne Bradley voiced her disappointment. “You can dig up concrete, but you cannot erase history,” she said.
The demolition underscores the ongoing political battles over racial justice symbols and federal oversight in Washington, D.C.
With information from Yahoo News and Al Jazeera English.
