In the summer of 2020, with the George Floyd Riots in full swing, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser decided that 16th Avenue would gain a new status in American history. She designated the two block section of the Avenue closest to the white house as Black Lives Matter Plaza. The slogan was painted in 35-foot yellow letters on the street. Whether they wanted to or not, DC residents and visitors were forced to see them day in and day out. No doubt, the mayor and her allies believed they were symbolically staking the nation’s capitol as beholden to that morally questionable movement forever. But it was not to be forever. 

In March of this year, DC workers have been seen removing the letters from Black Lives Matter plaza. The street is being returned to a normal pedestrian and traffic thoroughfare, free from political sloganeering. How did this happen? 

To tell that story, I’m joined on the podcast by Heritage Senior Legal Fellow Zack Smith. 

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Follow Zack Smith on X: https://x.com/tzsmith

Zack’s work at Heritage.org: https://www.heritage.org/staff/zack-smith

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