A Black Lives Matter street mural in Washington, D.C., that was installed during the racial justice protests in 2020 may be painted over, Mayor Muriel Bowser said, as President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress threaten to intervene in the district’s self-governance.
“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 said in a statement. “The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern.”
During the height of the protests over George Floyd’s killing in 2020, Bowser, a Democrat, announced that one of the streets leading to the White House would be painted with the words “Black Lives Matter” and that the area would be named Black Lives Matter Plaza. The project was seen as an act of defiance against Trump, who was highly critical of the protests.
The D.C. Black Lives Matter chapter also criticized Bowser at the time, saying she “has consistently been on the wrong side of BLMDC history” and calling the mural a “performative distraction from real policy changes.”








