This may be the biggest flex we’ve seen from Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. Today, she announced her approval for the renaming of a section of 16th Street that leads to the White House.
The new street name ‘Black Lives Matter Plaza’ also marked the unveiling of a giant yellow street mural spanning two full blocks that reads the same, ‘Black Lives Matter.’ This comes after police in the city have been condemned for using force with peaceful protestors over the last week.
“We want to call attention today to making sure our nation is more fair and more just and that black lives and that black humanity matter in our nation,” Bowser said in a statement.
This move comes on the heels of Trump’s controversial photo op in front of St. John’s Church that caused security personnel to forcibly remove protestors and even pepper spray them, just outside of the White House. Mayor Bowser says that by renaming the road and painting the mural, she is making it clear that the road belongs to the city of D.C. and no one else.
While the move is monumental and definitely sends a message, some Black Lives Matter chapters are not in full support. Black Lives Matter DC feels that this action takes away from the ultimate goal of implementing real policy change.
Either way, this is a bold statement coming from the mayor and it will be interesting to see the response coming out of the White House.
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