Washington, DC Dismantles Black Lives Matter Plaza

On Monday morning, workers in Washington, DC began dismantling the Black Lives Matter Plaza that lies in the heart of the city just outside of the White House.

Footage taken by News2Share’s Editor-in-Chief Ford Fisher showed workers removing posts that had been placed in the center of the road leading to the White House.

Watch video.

German Vigil, a spokesperson for the District Department of Transportation, told Fox 5 in a statement that deconstruction of the plaza will take place "over the next several weeks" and would require "temporary closures along 16th St NW in phases."

Vigil said that work would take place on weekdays and weekends with efforts in place to "minimize disruptions and maintain accessibility for businesses and residents."

Weather permitting, Vigil said that the work would take six to eight weeks to complete. "DDOT will closely coordinate with local stakeholders to ensure a smooth process, and we appreciate the public’s patience as we work to enhance this important corridor."

On March 4, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote that the plaza’s "evolution" was "long considered" for DC’s America 250 mural project, but the city couldn’t be "distracted by meaningless congressional interference."

She wrote, "We have long considered Black Lives Matter Plaza’s evolution and the plaza will be part of DC’s America 250 mural project, where we will invite students and artists to create new murals across all eight wards. 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. The devastating impacts of the federal job cuts must be our number one concern. Our focus is on economic growth, public safety, and supporting our residents affected by these cuts."

Rep. Andrew Clyde introduced a bill last week that aims to "withhold certain apportionment funds from the District of Columbia unless the Mayor of the District of Columbia removes the phrase Black Lives Matter from the street symbolically designated as Black Lives Matter Plaza, redesignates such as Liberty Plaza, and removes such phrase from each website, document, and other material under the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia," per Fox News.

The mural, in which the words "Black Lives Matter" are written in yellow paint, sits across two city blocks and the letters sit at 35 feet tall. It was placed on the street in the wake of the death of George Floyd, which sparked fiery riots across the nation, including in DC.