WASHINGTON D.C. — Less than five years after the Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington D.C. was constructed — the monument that was once a pledge to social and racial progress born out of Minneapolis police killing George Floyd — the intersection has been officially dismantled.
By Tuesday, the two-block area near H and 16th Street Northwest — just blocks from the White House — had been repaved and everything referencing Black Lives Matter had been erased.
After George Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in 2020, the intersection had become a daily meeting site where protestors would demonstrate against police brutality and racial inequality.
Later that year, as the protests persisted through the summer, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the intersection be painted “Black Lives Matter.” With the support of the local community and Bowser, it grew into a monument.
However, Black Lives Matter Plaza became a target for House Republicans, and more recently President Donald Trump who has threatened to cut federal funding to Washington D.C. — which is not governed by the White House. Trump has also signaled he may attempt to challenge D.C.’s historically independent governance.
Last year, Bowser announced the plaza would be dismantled. Plans are pending to replace the monument with multiple, smaller monuments. The details about the replacement monuments have not yet been shared.
More on the Black Lives Matter Plaza.
