Pressed by Republicans, D.C. Begins Removing Black Lives Matter Mural

Local government crews in Washington began on Monday morning to remove the Black Lives Matter mural that was painted near the White House nearly five years ago.

The mural, spelling “BLACK LIVES MATTER” in bright yellow letters, covered two blocks of 16th Street Northwest. It was painted in June 2020, turning the pavement into a pedestrian zone called Black Lives Matter Plaza.

The mural was one of many that were put to pavement all across the United States that summer, often by Black artists whose work transformed public squares and city streets into condemnations of racism.

And while the murals were never without critics — including activists who thought the art rang hollow without more structural reform — the one in Washington left a stamp of protest on a place where powerful people lived, worked and commuted.

But the fate of the plaza has been in question since President Trump returned to the White House in January, and last week Mayor Muriel E. Bowser said that the mural would be removed. Her announcement came shortly after Representative Andrew Clyde, a Republican from Georgia, introduced legislation threatening to withhold millions of dollars in federal funds from the city unless the mural was removed and the plaza renamed.

On Monday, a truck full of traffic barriers sat on top of the mural, along with rows of orange cones and yellow tape. The sound of a jackhammer drilling into the street echoed through the downtown like any other road repair project.

“I think it’s very sad,” said Carolyn Foreman, 66, a retired choral conductor who was watching the demolition unfold. Ms. Foreman, a Black woman who was visiting Washington from Little Rock, Ark., said that she understood the mayor’s decision but still considered it unfortunate. “It’s like a monument.”

Her uncle, Elmer Beard, 87, was taking pictures nearby. He had stronger words about what the mural’s removal meant, and what history it evoked.

“We’ve been through this before,” he said.

Mr. Beard described the day in September 1957 when he went to watch the integration of Central High School in Little Rock. Mr. Beard, then a college student, remembered how National Guard members had to protect students and onlookers from an angry white mob.

He predicted troubling days ahead for Black people in the United States. “This is an organized effort from the top of the U.S. government to take us down and back,” he said. Still, he added, “I’ve got faith that if it gets tough enough, we’ll come through.”

The mural was created at a time when demonstrations over the murder of George Floyd were erupting in cities across the country.

It was painted a few days after federal authorities used chemical spray and smoke grenades to clear protesters near the White House so that Mr. Trump could walk to a historic church and pose for photographs holding a Bible.

At a town hall last week, Ms. Bowser, a Democrat, said that the mural was a significant part of the city’s history. But “now our focus is on making sure our residents and our economy survive,” she said.

Ms. Bowser did not say whether the mural’s removal was in direct response to any specific actions or threats by Congress or the White House. She has said that the decision had been made for some time, and in a social media post last week she said that the plaza would be redesigned as part of a citywide mural project to commemorate the country’s 250th birthday.

Still, since Mr. Trump’s return to office, the city has become strikingly vulnerable. Republican lawmakers have introduced bills to limit the city’s power, including one that would eliminate residents’ ability to elect a local government altogether. Mr. Trump has publicly championed a complete federal takeover of Washington and has demanded in social media posts that the mayor clean up the city.

The Trump administration has also fired thousands of federal workers, which could cost Washington around $1 billion in lost revenue over the next three years, according to the city’s estimate.

Washington’s ability to govern itself was already limited, with all local legislation subject to congressional oversight and much of the criminal justice system in the hands of the federal government. That has made Ms. Bowser’s work for the city something of a balancing act. She has mostly taken a diplomatic approach toward Mr. Trump, visiting him at Mar-a-Lago before his inauguration and pledging to work with him on shared priorities.

The mural’s removal will be more complicated than a simple repainting job, given its inlaid bricks and other features. The District Department of Transportation said in a statement last week that the reconstruction of the plaza could take six to eight weeks.