Washington Removing Black Lives Matter Painting Near White House: Mayor

Muriel Bowser said that the city is acting as members of Congress consider taking full control of the nation’s capital.

Black Lives Matter Plaza on 16th Street is repainted following the removal of the lettering for a construction project in Washington on May 13, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The city of Washington is removing the Black Lives Matter mural from near the White House, Mayor Muriel Bowser said on March 4.

“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 on social media platform X. “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.”

President Donald Trump’s administration has been terminating tens of thousands of workers in recent weeks, including employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The painting on a street near the White House is part of Black Lives Matter Plaza, which was created in 2020 amid nationwide protests that were sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

“What we have to say to the young black youth is that they matter, we care about them, and we hear them, and we’re listening to them, and we’re trying to make all of our systems starting right here in Washington, D.C., more fair,” Bowser said at a press conference at the time.

The plaza was made permanent in 2021.

Bowser frequently clashed with Trump during his first term but has avoided conflict with the president this time. She met with him in late 2024, about three weeks before he was sworn in, and said they had found common ground in their desire for Washington to be the best city in the world.

Trump recently said that there should be a federal takeover of the nation’s capital, describing Washington as riddled with crime, graffiti, and homeless encampments. Bowser has said that the system should remain as it is. She has also opposed congressional efforts to revoke the so-called Home Rule autonomy.

Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress, have repeatedly signaled their intent to become involved in city affairs in both large and small ways. A measure currently before Congress, named the BOWSER Act, seeks to completely revoke the Home Rule Act of 1973 that grants the capital city limited autonomy.

Some representatives have used budget riders to target Washington policies ranging from marijuana legalization to whether right turns on red lights should be legal.

Bowser’s publicly siding with Black Lives Matter activists in 2020 didn’t appear to earn her much credit with them at the time. The local Black Lives Matter affiliate dismissed the move as “performative wokeness” and suggested that Bowser was biased toward police.

In a social media post on March 4, Nee Nee Taylor, a founding member of the Washington Black Lives Matter affiliate, said that the mayor “never cared about Black Lives Mattering.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.