Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) is on a mission to erase Black Lives Matter Plaza from Washington, D.C. This week, he introduced a new bill, H.R. 1774, to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, proposing to withhold certain federal funds from the District of Columbia unless Mayor Muriel Bowser renames the symbolic street.
“To amend title 23, United States Code, 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 street as Liberty Plaza, and removes such phrase from each website, document, and other material under the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia,” the bill reads, per WUSA9.
Clyde’s proposal would also require the removal of “Black Lives Matter” from all government materials under D.C.’s jurisdiction. The plaza, located on 16th Street NW between H Street, NW and K Street, NW, just blocks from the White House, was originally commissioned in 2020 amid nationwide protests against police brutality following the murder of George Floyd. The street is known for its massive yellow “Black Lives Matter” lettering, which became a powerful symbol of the movement.
This isn’t the first time BLM Plaza has faced opposition. As previously reported by theGrio, a group of white men once attempted to sue the city over the mural, calling it a “cult orthodoxy.” And Clyde himself has been on this crusade before. Back in December, he aired his grievances about the plaza to the right-wing outlet Daily Caller, advocating for its renaming while also calling the Black Lives Matter movement “pro-crime.”
“I would think that that is something that we should do. You have a street that is blocked off. It should not be blocked off. You have businesses that are negatively affected by it, and they shouldn’t be negatively affected by it. The Black Lives Matter movement in and of itself should be All Lives Matter, not just Black Lives Matter, but All Lives Matter,” Clyde told the publication. “So, in that respect, I don’t agree with this. And the fact that the city spent almost $5 million on it is an incredible waste of money. And then to maintain it, another waste of money. So, honestly, the street needs to go back to the way it was, which is a public thoroughfare, and the Black Lives Matter wording needs to be paved over.”
A year after the mural was first painted, Mayor Bowser had the fading letters replaced with thermoplastic road-marking paint, a move intended to make the installation more permanent. But if Clyde has his way, BLM Plaza could be at risk of losing both its name and its cultural significance.
