WASHINGTON—The sound of jackhammers filled the air on 16th street in downtown Washington as construction workers began removing a mural bearing the words “Black Lives Matter” from the pavement.
The teardown began under the direction of Mayor Muriel Bowser, after Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) introduced a bill with an ultimatum on March 3: Remove the slogan from the street at Black Lives Matter Plaza—and rename it Liberty Plaza—or the government will strip the District of Columbia of some of its federal funding.
