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A spokesperson for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed to NBC Washington
that Bowser will remove Black Lives Matter Plaza and the "Black Lives
Matter" ground mural will be painted over. There's no timeline yet for
the changes, but the street art will be replaced with a design created
by D.C. schoolchildren.

Bowser said she made the decision several days ago. When pressed about
why, she said it was fair to say the White House didn’t like it.

In 2020, the two-block stretch of 16th Street NW north of the White
House was designated as Black Lives Matter Plaza after the murder of
George Floyd in Minneapolis, which sparked protests nationwide,
including in the District.

Bowser unveiled the ground mural on June 5 of that year. It was paved
over about a year later, but the mural was replaced, and Bowser
announced the new mural would be a permanent installation in October 2021.

It was not immediately unclear if traffic patterns would change.

On Monday, Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia introduced
legislation that, if passed, would force Bowser to rename Black Lives
Matter Plaza or else lose federal funding for D.C.

The bill says the District would have to rename the two-block stretch of
16th Street NW to Liberty Plaza, update all government websites and
documents with the new name and cover up the huge yellow "Black Lives
Matter" mural that covers the street.

If left unchanged, "certain apportionment funds" would be withheld from
the District, according to the bill.

Bowser said she does not support renaming the area Liberty Plaza.

Clyde said in a statement Wednesday: “I’m very pleased that within one
day of introducing my bill to rename BLM Plaza, Mayor Bowser announced
plans to do just that. My focus remains on ensuring this woke, divisive
slogan is removed and no longer stains the streets of America’s capital
city, and I will continue pursuing my effort until BLM Plaza is
officially gone for good.”

Clyde, who represents Georgia’s 9th District, has a history of diving
into D.C. affairs. In 2022, the congressman advocated to repeal the Home
Rule Act, which is what allows the District to govern itself. Passed in
1973, it created the branches of the D.C. government and the D.C. Council.

This also isn’t the first time Clyde suggested scrapping Black Lives
Matter Plaza.

"The fact that the city spent almost $5 million on it is an incredible
waste of money. And then to maintain it, another waste of money," he
told The Daily Caller in a 2024 interview. "So, honestly, the street
needs to go back to the way it was, which is a public thoroughfare, and
the Black Lives Matter wording needs to be paved over."

In a statement released by Bowser on Tuesday, she said, in part, "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. The devastating impacts of the federal job
cuts must be our number one concern. Our focus is on economic growth,
public safety, and supporting our residents affected by these cuts."

CORRECTION (March 5, 2025, 10:49 a.m.): An earlier version of this story
said Black Lives Matter Plaza will be renamed. While the GOP
congressman's bill would require that if passed, a spokesperson for
D.C.'s mayor said Tuesday the mural will be painted over but did not
comment on whether or not Bowser would rename it.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/black-lives-matter-plaza-being-renamed-after-gop-rep-introduced-bill/3858417/

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