Washington DC paints huge 'Black Lives Matter' mural on street leading up to White House
John Haltiwanger
Jun 5, 2020, 11:34 AM
A giant "Black Lives Matter" mural has been painted on a street leading up to the White House at the request of Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Work on the mural, which stretches across two blocks on 16th Street, began early on Friday morning, according to CNN.
The mayor tweeted a video of the mural on Friday, and in a separate tweet said: "The section of 16th street in front of the White House is now officially 'Black Lives Matter Plaza'."
"There was a dispute this week about whose street this week about whose street this is. Mayor Bowser wanted to make it abundantly clear that this is DC's street and to honor demonstrators who peacefully protested on Monday evening," Bowser's chief of staff, John Falcicchio, said in a tweet regarding the mural.
Responding to Bowser's decision to designate the area as "Black Lives Matter Plaza," BlackLivesMatter DC tweeted: "THIS IS INSANE!"
In a separate tweet, BlackLivesMatterDC said: "This is a performative distraction from real policy changes. Bowser has consistently been on the wrong side of BLMDC history. This is to appease white liberals while ignoring our demands. Black Lives Matter means defund the police."
The nation's capital has experienced massive protests over police brutality in recent days following the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for roughly eight minutes.
A huge number of National Guard troops have been called into the city in response to the protests, which have been met with violence by police at times. Earlier this week, protesters were teargassed and beaten with batons to clear the way for President Donald Trump to take a photo with a bible at St. John's Episcopal Church. Trump's photo-op prompted widespread criticism, including from the president's former secretary of defense, and comparisons with the tactics of authoritarian regimes.
The mural is on the same road as the church and leads up to the White House as well.
Bowser on Friday requested that Trump withdraw "all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence from our city".
