DC’s Black Lives Matter Plaza to Be Painted Over and Renamed

In yet another sign that the left’s toxic, race-hustling crusade is imploding, Democratic Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said “Black Lives Matter Plaza” will be renamed — just one day after a Republican congressman unveiled legislation to restore the public square to its original name, Liberty Plaza.

On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia confirmed the news himself in a triumphant X post.

“Following the introduction of my bill to rename Black Lives Matter Plaza, Mayor Bowser CAVED — announcing that D.C. WILL rename the plaza,” the congressman wrote on X.

“This woke, divisive slogan will no longer stain the streets of America’s capital city.”

BREAKING: Following the introduction of my bill to rename Black Lives Matter Plaza, Mayor Bowser CAVED—announcing that D.C. WILL rename the plaza.

This woke, divisive slogan will no longer stain the streets of America’s capital city. pic.twitter.com/iQyjDvqp6Z

— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) March 5, 2025

Bowser’s bending-the-knee occurred just one day after Clyde introduced a bill to remove Black Lives Matter Plaza, redesignate the two-block stretch as Liberty Plaza, and expunge all references to BLM Plaza from city records.

If the city refuses, it stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.

“It’s past time for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority over Washington’s affairs to remove BLM Plaza and rename the street to Liberty Plaza,” the congressman said in a statement.

“Our capital city must serve as a beacon of freedom, patriotism, and safety — not wokeness, divisiveness, and lawlessness.”

Clyde agreed with President Donald Trump‘s remarks in February, when he said Washington had devolved into a shabby, crime-infested cesspool that must be restored because it’s the capital of the United States.

Last month, Trump suggested the federal government should “take over” Washington to “make it safe,” saying it’s embarrassing when foreign dignitaries visit the nation’s capital, only to see rampant crime and homelessness.

“I think that we should govern the District of Columbia,” Trump told reporters in February. “I think that we should run it strong, run it with law and order, make it absolutely, flawlessly beautiful.”

“People are getting killed,” the president underscored.

Trump says federal government should ‘take over’ DC | Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner

President Donald Trump is thinking of adding local government to his list of responsibilities.

Returning to Washington, D.C., from Florida late Wednesday, he mused that the federal… pic.twitter.com/Lo0FOZvk6Q

— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) February 21, 2025

Rep. Andrew Clyde agreed with Trump‘s assessment, saying that’s why “Black Lives Matter Plaza” must be eradicated since it lionizes George Floyd, a convicted criminal and drug addict who died in Minneapolis Police custody in May 2020.

“President Trump is 100 percent right: We must clean up Washington, D.C., for the American people,” the congressman said. “I believe that removing BLM Plaza must be part of this critical effort.”

Clye continued: “After all, BLM is a radical, defund the police organization — but we are not a defund the police nation. Yet the left has allowed this deeply divisive slogan to shamefully stain the streets of America’s capital city for nearly five years.”

In 2020, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser wasted $4.8 million tax dollars to rename Liberty Plaza to “Black Lives Matter Plaza.”

This act of vandalism — using public funds — was done at the height of the destructive BLM riots that metastasized across the nation.

The section of 16th street in front of the White House is now officially “Black Lives Matter Plaza”. pic.twitter.com/bbJgAYE35b

— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) June 5, 2020

#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/OQg6977n5r

— Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser) June 5, 2020

Predictably, Black Lives Matter has since been exposed as a race-hustling grift, and Americans have grown weary of the terrifying race riots, looting, and violence it unleashed across the nation for more than three years.

Florida police have released footage of the mass looting of a Walmart during the BLM race riots. pic.twitter.com/Gvv91hMzcR

— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) June 12, 2020

BREAKING: Wal-Mart is being looted for a 2nd time by BLM rioters in Philadelphia

They are looting 15+ stores over a 4 block radius. Police have not been able to get the situation under control

Chaos is ensuing to the point where it’s not safe anymorepic.twitter.com/U34olfZ835

— E (@ElijahSchaffer) October 28, 2020

#BLM rioters looted a liquor store in Philadelphia during a night of mass theft in the name of racial justice. pic.twitter.com/F1qh546UCE

— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) September 27, 2023

As a reminder, the BLM riots resulted in sweeping changes to law enforcement that incentivized more crime, including:

• Nationwide police pullbacks;
• Unreasonable restraints on law enforcement’s ability to pursue criminals;
• Soft-on-crime policies, such as no-bail laws and the decriminalization of theft.

Americans are still grappling with the destructive fallout of this insanity.

While eradicating “Black Lives Matter Plaza” won’t undo the destruction the movement unleashed, it’s a small step in the right direction.

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