WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Less than one week after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signaled the renaming and redesigning of Black Lives Matter Plaza, crews are set to begin the alterations.
The announcement to reconstruct the plaza at 16th Street NW came after Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) introduced new legislation that would withhold federal funding from the city until officials removed the mural and renamed it “Liberty Plaza.”
The plaza and mural (which reads “Black Lives Matter” in bold yellow letters) were initially designed in 2020 amid protests over the murder of George Floyd. Floyd, a Black man, died on May 25, 2020, after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pinned his neck to the pavement for nearly 10 minutes. Following Floyd’s death, Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder.
Bowser said the plaza, which “inspired millions of people” and helped D.C. through “a very painful period,” will be part of “DC’s America 250 mural project,” in which students and artists will create new murals across all eight wards.
Just three days after Bowser announced the changes, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) said Friday that crews would begin “reconstructing” the plaza on or about Monday, March 10, and that the work would take six to eight weeks to complete.
The department added that temporary closures along 16th Street NW would be enacted in phases as crews made the changes, with “efforts to minimize disruptions and maintain accessibility for businesses and residents.”
“DDOT will closely coordinate with local stakeholders to ensure a smooth process, and we appreciate the public’s patience as we work to enhance this important corridor,” said DDOT, in part.
