Washington Begins Demolition of Black Lives Matter Plaza

Mayor Muriel Bowser gave the order to destroy the street and rebuild it as Liberty Plaza.

Construction workers demolish the Black Lives Matter plaza near the White House in Washington on March 10, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

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.

President Donald Trump has also recently proposed that the federal government reclaim control of Washington in order to deal with its ongoing homelessness and crime. Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) have already introduced legislation to strip Bowser of her position.

“The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a very painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference,” Bowser said in a statement.

The slogan was painted onto the street in 2020 and the street was renamed to Black Lives Matter Plaza after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis sparked a series of destructive protests around the country under the wider aegis of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Megan Bailiff, president and CEO of Equus Striping, looked on as the workers began removing the slogan that her company had repainted in 2023, and which she had hoped would inspire future generations.

“My employees were so proud,” she told The Epoch Times. “They’re heartsick, as am I, that its just going away.”

The Black Lives Matter movement has long been a magnet for controversy, both because of its divisive nature and allegations of fraud by some of its leaders.

Many users on social media platform X cheered the mural’s destruction, but some in-person onlookers of the demolition job were sad to see it go.

Jessica Sawyer, a retired school teacher, told The Epoch Times that she understood Bowser’s decision to demolish the plaza.

“She has to protect the people in D.C., and she has to choose her battles. But I’m sorry that this is done,” she said.

Radio host Kymone Freeman, who jokingly described himself as an “angry black man in therapy,” was less sympathetic toward the mayor, saying he felt that she had capitulated on the issue of the plaza, and on removing homeless encampments in Washington.

Freeman said he intends to return to the plaza on April 4—the anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.—to host a rally in support of Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who was ejected from the House floor and censured after disrupting Trump’s joint address to Congress on March 4.