A spokesperson for D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser confirmed to News4 that the Black Lives Matter Plaza will be rennamed. There's no timeline yet for the change.
This comes a day after Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia has introduced legislation that, if passed, would have forced Bowser to rename Black Lives Matter Plaza or else lose federal funding for D.C.
The bill says that the District would have to rename the two-block stretch of 16th Street Northwest Liberty Plaza, update all government websites and documents with the new name, and cover up the Black Lives Matter mural that currently blankets the street.
If unchanged, “certain apportionment funds” would be withheld from the District, according to the bill.
The area was designated as Black Lives Matter Plaza after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which sparked protests nationwide, including in the District. Bowser unveiled the mural, which says “Black Lives Matter” in big yellow letters, on June 5, 2020. It was paved over about a year later, but the mural was replaced. Bowser announced the new mural would be a permanent installation in October 2021.
Clyde, who represents Georgia’s ninth district, has a history of diving into D.C. affairs. In 2022, the congressman advocated to repeal the Home Rule Act, which is what allows the District to govern itself. Passed in 1973, it created the branches of the D.C. government and D.C. Council.
This also isn’t the first time he suggested scrapping Black Lives Matter Plaza.
“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,” he told The Daily Caller in a 2024 interview. “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.”
In a statement released by Bowser on Tuesday, she said, in part, “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.”
