Washington
D.C.'s Black Lives Matter mural will be erased. Look back at the iconic street painting
Black Lives Matter Plaza on 16th Street Washington, D.C., is repainted following the removal of the lettering for a construction project on May 13, 2021.
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Washington, D.C.’s iconic “Black Lives Matter” street mural, which has served as a powerful symbol of activism and a gathering place for joy and resistance, will soon be gone.
The decision to remove the enormous mural near the White House comes after a U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., introduced legislation earlier this week that gave D.C. an ultimatum: either paint over the slogan or risk losing federal funding. The bill also called for the area in downtown D.C. to be re-named from Black Lives Matter Plaza to Liberty Plaza.
The next day, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser released a statement suggesting that the mural will have to go. “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,” she wrote. The DDOT confirmed on Saturday that plans to remove the mural will begin Monday.
The mayor’s response marked a reversal: She initially declared that the artwork would be permanent.
City workers repaint Black Lives Matter Plaza on May 13, 2021.
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The mural was painted in 2020 after federal officers attacked D.C. protesters with tear gas
In June 2020, amid a nationwide outcry over the death George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, the mural was created overnight.
It was in direct response to reports of federal officers using tear gas against peaceful protesters in D.C.’s Lafayette Square. The demonstrators had been cleared shortly before President Trump walked through the park to St. John’s Church, where he posed for a controversial photo-op holding a Bible.
A few days later, the D.C. mayor commissioned a striking 48-foot-wide “Black Lives Matter” mural near the site of the altercation. The street painting spanned two blocks of 16th Street, just north of the White House. The mayor also renamed the area Black Lives Matter Plaza and designated it a pedestrian-only zone. In all, the project cost over $4 million.
“The symbolism is huge. We are saying it loud. We are here. Maybe you didn’t hear us before. Maybe you got confused. But the message is clear. Black lives matter, period,” Keyonna Jones, one of artists who helped paint the mural, told member station WAMU in 2020.
The mural’s unveiling fell on the birthday of Breonna Taylor, a Black medical worker who was killed in March 2020 during a botched raid by police officers in Louisville, Ky. “Breonna Taylor, on your birthday, let us stand with determination. Determination to make America the land it ought to be,” Bowser wrote on Twitter on June 5, 2020.
That same evening, Trump took to Twitter and called Bowser “grossly incompetent, and in no way qualified to be running an important city like Washington, D.C.” Later that night, Bowser posted a video of the mural and wrote, “We turned on the night light for him so he dreams about #BlackLivesMatter Plaza,” seemingly referring to Trump.
A place for protest, joy, mourning and where congressman John Lewis spent one of his final days
The plaza quickly became a popular meeting spot for demonstrations. People gathered or marched through, for an array of reasons including advocating for racial justice, promoting environmental justice, raising awareness of international issues and celebrating Juneteenth.
People gather to celebrate Juneteenth in Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House on June 20, 2023.
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With Iman Saleh (left), on her 12th day of a hunger strike for Yemen, looking on, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks during a press conference at Black Lives Matter Plaza calling for an end to U.S. support for a Saudi Arabia-led blockade of Yemen on April 9, 2021.
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Indigenous environmental activists march through Black Lives Matter Plaza on their way to the White House as part of a protest against oil pipelines on April 1, 2021.
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Many also came together to mourn the loss of civil rights leader and congressman John Lewis, who died in 2020. A year later, Bowser said that one of her proudest memories of the Black Lives Matter Plaza was when Lewis was able to see the street painting himself before his death.
“He recognized Black Lives Matter Plaza as good trouble, and we know it will remain a gathering place for reflection, planning and action, as we work toward a more perfect union,” Bowser said in 2021.
Rep. John Lewis of Georgia is seen in Black Lives Matter Plaza on June 7, 2020.
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Aurora Samperio/NurPhoto via Getty Images
People gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza to watch the funeral procession for congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis on July 27, 2020.
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Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
The installation has received some pushback over the years. After its inception, the D.C. chapter of Black Lives Matter called the mural “a performative distraction” by the mayor, accusing her of dismissing the chapter’s calls to defund the police and invest in the community.
On Friday, the group re-posted its initial complaints about the artwork and the mayor, adding, “We told you so.”
But, nationally, the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation condemned the decision to remove the artwork.
“First, they attacked critical race theory. Then, they banned books. Then DEI, Now they’re erasing Black Lives Matter Plaza. Big mistake. You can’t erase truth. Republicans hate that they have to walk past it. Hate that it reminds them of our power,” the foundation wrote in a statement.
Philonise Floyd (left), George Floyd’s brother, embraces Floyd family attorney Ben Crump as the family visits Black Lives Matter Plaza on on May 25, 2021, the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death.
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Jones, who helped paint the mural five years ago, told WUSA9 that she understood the mayor’s decision and was proud of the impact that the mural made in its short run.
“It speaks for itself. People traveled the world to see this,” Jones said earlier this week.
Under the motto “Light for Our Democracy,” people gather at Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House on March 4, 2025, to protest the Trump administration.
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Astrid Riecken/The Washington Post via Getty Images
SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.
SEE ALSO | Washington exempts clergy from reporting abuse learned in confession after settlement
Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.
“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”
Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.
Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.
The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.
The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.
The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.
Both of Utah’s power play units scored in the win. Sergachev scored his 10th goal of the season on the power play 13 and a half minutes into the first period. Peterka scored his 21st of the season, on the man-advantage, in the final two minutes of the middle frame.
Peterka has three power play goals in the 2025-26 campaign while Sergachev has matched a career-high with five power play goals this season. Overall, Utah’s power play has scored six goals in the last six games. That output matches the Mammoth’s total from their previous 18 games (per Mammoth PR). Tourigny discussed what’s changed with the team’s performance in recent games.
“(The) puck gets in,” Tourigny laughed. “But, no, I think there’s a number of things. The most important thing is we’re aggressive. We’re attacking.
“…If you look at our goal, the first one, it’s a direct play to the net and then on the loose puck recovery we take a shot with traffic and we score,” Tourigny continued. “On the second one, it’s a slot pass, a great shot by (Peterka). I think we had that attack mindset.”
Guenther, who is on the Mammoth’s top power play unit, agreed with Tourigny’s assessment of attacking more.
“I think just attacking, less predictable,” Guenther explained. “Shooting it more, I think (it is) just work really. Trying to play like a 5-on-5 mindset but on the (power play).”
The Mammoth made several line changes for tonight’s game and the new lines started to find chemistry, despite it being the first game with these changes.
“I like them,” Tourigny said of the changes. “Obviously (Guenther) got a goal, but Cooley’s line was really good. I was looking at the expected goals at the end, I think they were above 90%. So that’s pretty, pretty awesome. Then I think (Barrett Hayton’s) line worked really hard. They’re heavy on pucks and they play well defensively. I did like (Michael Carcone’s) line in (the) previous three games, and I did like them again tonight.”
When Washington pushed back with a power play goal and multiple close chances in the third period, Utah fought hard against the momentum swing to secure the win.
“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Keller explained. “Weathering the storm as much as we could. They’re a great veteran team. They made it hard on us. They pressured us all over the ice, but I was proud of the way we fought there towards the end.”
Utah’s bench was positive and calm throughout the game, especially late in the third. This helped the Mammoth through the momentum swings. Keller, who had two assists in the win, was one of the key voices for the Mammoth.
“He’s one of the guys who was really positive on the bench,” Tourigny explained. “(All the players) were but (Keller) was really vocal. He was really good energy on the bench. So that was really good.”
Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)
- Guenther had two points in the win (1G, 1A) and the forward has earned a team-high nine points (5G, 4A) through six road games in 2026. He has become the third Mammoth skater to reach the 50-point mark this season (28G, 23A) and established a new career-high in goals.
- Sergachev has 18 power play points this season (5G, 13A) and is tied with Keller for the team lead this season.
- Keller has recorded multiple primary assists in a game for the seventh time this season and the 27th time in his NHL career. He has now tallied multiple points in four of his last six contests (2G, 8A), with three multi-assist outings over that span.
The Mammoth continue their five-game road trip in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Game time is 5 p.m. MT and available to watch on Mammoth+ and Utah16.
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