US capital begins removal of Black Lives Matter mural under Republican pressure

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Local authorities in the US capital began Monday to tear down a Black Lives Matter streetscape mural painted near the White House in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder, a touchstone moment in the movement.

The art piece was drawn across two blocks stretching down 16th St. NW, mere blocks from the White House in the final months of US President Donald Trump's first term. The area was renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza, and made into a semi-pedestrian zone, though vehicular traffic continued to flow between the blocks on I St NW.

Last week, Republican Representative Andrew Clyde introduced legislation in the House of Representatives that would have halted billions of dollars in federal funding from flowing to Washington, DC's local government if it did not rename the plaza to Liberty Plaza.

"One week after I introduced legislation to rename Black Lives Matter Plaza, workers have started dismantling it. Making D.C. Great Again!" Clyde said on X.

The mural was first painted after federal law enforcement officers used chemical spray and smoke grenades to clear Black Lives Matter protesters from the surrounding area so Trump could stage a photo op in in front of a nearby church as he posed with a copy of the Bible.