Taxpayers Saddled With $270,000 Bill for Repainting ‘Black Lives Matter’ Mural in DC

The government of the District of Columbia spent the money on a project to repaint the mural on a street near the White House, drawing criticism.

People add a coat of paint to the Black Lives Matter sign that runs two city blocks near the White House on what was part of 16th Street but was renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, on May 13, 2021. Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images

Officials in the District of Columbia spent more than $270,000 in taxpayer dollars on a project to repaint the 50-foot-tall “Black Lives Matter” slogan on a street near the White House, records obtained by the nonprofit Judicial Watch show.

The 25 pages of records obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Judicial Watch show that the total price tag for the job of repainting the yellow phrase and the D.C. crest came in at $271,231. Paint and supplies accounted for $53,551, while labor totaled $217,680.