WASHINGTON D.C. — Less than five years after a social justice movement spurred by the killing of George Floyd brought the Black Lives Matter Plaza to life in Washington D.C., the mural supporting social progress and racial equity was being dismantled on Monday.

The intersection, which is a two-block stretch of 16th Street NW just one block north of the White House, was renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza with the support of Mayor Muriel Bowser, who also ordered the street be painted amid the height of protests over the killing of George Floyd in June 2020.

In 2021, Bowser also said the installation would become permanent. But last week, Bowser shared a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the monument would be removed.

“The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a 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.”

Last week, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) introduced legislation that would force the city to remove and rename the plaza or risk losing federal funding.

Bowser has blamed Republicans in Congress as a threat to her authority to govern D.C. with “Home Rule Act” autonomy. President Donald Trump has also publicly expressed interest in reigning more control over the nation’s capital, alleging the area has seen an increase in “crime” and “homelessness” due to local governance.

On Monday, construction crews were removing the yellow letters that spelled “Black Lives Matter.” The monument is expected to take about six weeks to be completely removed. It will reportedly be replaced with a variety of murals.

More on the Black Lives Matter Plaza removal.