On Friday, she had people paint the words “Black Lives Matter” in giant yellow letters on two blocks of 16th Street ― a street that goes directly to the White House.
At the end of the mural, on the side closest to the White House, the painters added the Washington, D.C., flag.
Street painters put the giant letters on the ground in anticipation of more protests against police brutality and racism in the coming days.
— Muriel Bowser #StayHomeDC (@MurielBowser) June 5, 2020
Bowser also had 16th Street NW ― which is just in front of the White House ― renamed “Black Lives Matter Plaza.” Washington Post reporter Julie Zauzmer filmed the new street sign going up to applause.
Mayor Bowser has renamed 16th Street NW just in front of the White House “Black Lives Matter Plz.” Here’s video of the sign going up. pic.twitter.com/NYnolEe7Qg
Bowser’s chief of staff, John Falcicchio, explained via Twitter that the mayor wanted “to make it abundantly clear that this is DC’s street and to honor demonstrators who [were] peacefully protesting on Monday evening.”
Many of those demonstrators were tear-gassed by federal police, who cleared the way for President Donald Trump to pose with a Bible in front of a church that has since denounced his actions.
There was a dispute this week about whose street this is. Mayor Bowser wanted to make it abundantly clear that this is DC’s street and to honor demonstrators who peacefully protesting on Monday evening. https://t.co/bjdVXLUf12
— John J. Falcicchio #StayHomeDC (@falcicchio) June 5, 2020
The Black Lives Matter street mural appeared a day after Bowser posted a letter addressed to Trump on Twitter requesting that he withdraw “all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence from Washington, D.C.”
But while the street mural was visually striking, Black Lives Matter DC dismissed Bowser’s action, saying the mayor “has consistently been on the wrong side of BLMDC history” and that the mural was a “performative distraction from real policy changes” designed to “appease white liberals while ignoring our demands.”
This is a performative distraction from real policy changes. Bowser has consistently been on the wrong side of BLMDC history. This is to appease white liberals while ignoring our demands. Black Lives Matter means defund the police. @emilymbadger say it with us https://t.co/w0ekwSG1ip
— BlackLivesMatter DC (@DMVBlackLives) June 5, 2020
A protester at an anti-racism demonstration in London on June 3 holds a sign that reads: "Our skin is not a weapon."
A demonstrator in Brooklyn, New York, calls for justice for George Floyd and other victims of police violence with a sign that reads: "I understand that I will never understand. However, I stand. #peaceandjustice"
Breezy Rose of Kansas posted this photo of her husband holding a sign that says "Stop killing us" and her daughter holding a sign that says "Please don't shoot my dad" on Instagram. In the caption, Breezy wrote: "When I tell you I cried after snapping this picture at a rally for George Floyd today, I sobbed. This is our reality. This is reality for every black person in our country. Today I wept for George Floyd, for Breonna Taylor, for Ahmaud Arbery, for Eric Garner, for Sandra Bland, for Tamir Rice and for so many others. Today I wept for my husband having to teach this to our daughter. And today I wept for our daughter, who has to grow up with this fear. Today, we wept. But tomorrow, we fight."
Demonstrators march near Lafayette Park across from the White House on June 2 in Washington, D.C. The sign on the left says, "I'd like to speak to the manager of systemic racism, please." The other reads: "Black Lives Matter."
Demonstrators protest police brutality at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami on May 30. The sign reads: "No lives matter til Black lives matter. #saytheirnames"
Courtney, a nurse, attends a sit-in protest in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on June 2. (She was wearing a mask but removed it for the photo, she said). The sign reads: "What color am I when I save your life? Signed, a Black R.N."
Atlanta protester Maya Nicole is working with the organization Millennial Civil Rights on a campaign called #WeSaveUs. Her sign says: "We deserve more than justice. We deserve a better reality."
New York City demonstrators walk from Foley Square past 1 Police Plaza on their way to Washington Square Park for a peaceful moment of reflection for those killed by police. The sign on the left reads: "We pay you to protect us, not kill us."
A woman holds up a sign with the Martin Luther King Jr. quote "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" during a protest in Manhattan Beach, California, on June 2.
A man holds up a sign that says "Am I next?" at a Manhattan Beach, California, protest on June 2.
An NYPD officer walks by a banner reading "Say Their Names" on June 1 in Brooklyn, New York.
During a June 1 protest near the White House over the death of George Floyd, a demonstrator holds a sign that says: "It could have been my son."
Protester holds a sign that says "Indifference is evil" during an anti-racism demonstration in London on June 3.
Protesters gather outside the residence of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on June 1. One man's sign reads: "Video taker: A national hero."
On June 1, a protester in Brooklyn, New York, holds a sign that reads: "4 my future Black kids."
A close-up of a sign that says: "The colour of my skin should not place a target on my back" during a May 31 protest outside Cardiff Castle in Wales.
A woman holds a drawing of George Floyd with "I can't breathe" written underneath as thousands of people join a Black Lives Matter march through central London on May 31.
Protesters hold posters and shout slogans as they march in central London on June 3. The sign in the foreground says: "You have no authority to kill a minority."
A seated protester holds a sign during a June 2 demonstration in Los Angeles over the death of George Floyd.
A protester holds up a piece of yellow plastic that reads, "Don't shoot" while participating in a demonstration outside the Forest Hills MBTA Station in Boston on June 2.
In Boyertown, Pennsylvania, a protester holds a sign that says "Charge the other 3," referring to the other three police officers present when their colleague kneeled on George Floyd's neck and killed him. The former officers have since been charged with aiding and abetting.
Demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd hold up placards near Lafayette Park across from the White House on June 2 in Washington, D.C. The sign in the center reads: "Who do u protect?"
A protester kneels as he holds a placard that says "Stop killer cops!!!!" in front of a row of Army National Guard troops during a June 2 demonstration in Hollywood, California.
A protester holds a sign that says "Blue Lives Murder" on May 29 in Minneapolis.
In Sydney, protesters prepare to march on Parliament House at the Archibald Fountain in Hyde Park on June 2. The one in the foreground reads: "We're not trying to start a race war. We're trying to end one."
Protest signs posted outside the U.S. Consulate General in Edinburgh, Scotland, in response to the police killing of George Floyd. One reads: "Stop looting Black lives. End police brutality."
New York protesters take part in a June 1 demonstration in response to the death of George Floyd. The sign on the left reads: "In unity we have strength;" the one on the right reads: "We have suffered enough."
People shout slogans during a June 1 protest at Dam Square in Amsterdam over the death of George Floyd. The banner reads: "Police violence is not an accident."
People carry a banner that says "We the people refuse to see cops murder citizens and walk free" as they march to protest the death of George Floyd on May 31 in Portland, Oregon.
A woman holds up a sign that says "Our black children need a future" during a May 31 protest outside Cardiff Castle in Wales/
During a Black Lives Matter protest in London's Hyde Park on June 3, a protester holds up a sign that says "White silence = Black death."
A protester holds a sign with the names of victims of police brutality during a rally in Coral Gables, Florida, on May 30.
David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst will forever be remembered for their roles as Del Boy and Rodney Trotter in Only Fools and Horses, but the pair's relationship off-screen has been far from perfect.
The Queen might have dined on some of the finest food in the world - but she was still partial to the occasional takeaway, and would send a footman to collect it
A driver who had been parking in a neighbour's space for three years was left fuming after his car was towed away - and the whole thing was caught on camera.
Scotty Kilmer, who has been a mechanic for over 50 years, has shared a simple tip that could help drivers to prolong the life of their vehicle's engine - and it's all to do with a common feature
Harper Beckham stunned this weekend as she celebrated her Spice Girl mum Victoria's 50th birthday, looking all grown up as she donned a satin gown for the occasion
Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden isn't afraid to show off her enviable figure, and she recently did just that in an array of skimpy bikinis aboard a yacht
