BLM plaza paved over due to planned maintenance; no date given for repainting

DC paints 'Black Lives Matter' on road that leads to White House ahead of weekend protests

The D.C. Department of Public Works paints the words Black Lives Matter on 16th Street in downtown D.C. in June 2020 ahead of large rallies in the nation's capital in response to the killing of George Floyd.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - The Black Lives Matter mural painted along 16th Street, known as Black Lives Matter Plaza, has been paved over due to planned work by Pepco and a date for repainting the mural has not been given by D.C. officials.

Pepco announced in April that they would be performing "critical work along Black Lives Matter Plaza, beginning April 12" in a press release.

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"The work, which includes the installation of new underground electric infrastructure, such as new conduit and a new manhole, will last four to six weeks, weather permitting, and will require excavation along 16th Street, NW between K and H streets," the press release reads. "Pepco recognizes the significance of Black Lives Matter Plaza to the District and the nation, and is working closely with the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) as part of an effort to coordinate upgrades along the Plaza with minimal impacts for the public and local businesses."

When FOX 5 reached out to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser about the mural, her office said, "Pepco is finishing up their work in the next couple of days. After that, we will repaint."

Bowser commissioned the 35-foot-tall message in June 2020 as her feud with President Donald Trump over local policing escalated.

Black Lives Matter DC responded to the mural being paved over on Twitter saying, "@MayorBowser's BLM performance has come to a close and set strike completed. We now return to her regularly scheduled performances."

The local chapter of Black Lives Matter has decried Bowser's efforts from the start, calling the mural "performative" back in June and saying that it distracts from the push for reform, including efforts to defund the Metropolitan Police Department.