Local government crews in Washington began on Monday morning to remove the Black Lives Matter mural that was painted near the White House nearly five years ago.
The mural, spelling “BLACK LIVES MATTER” in bright yellow letters, covered two blocks of 16th Street NW. It was painted in June 2020, turning the pavement into a pedestrian zone called Black Lives Matter Plaza.
But its fate has been in question since President Trump returned to the White House in January, and last week the mayor, Muriel E. Bowser, said that the mural would be removed. Her announcement came shortly after Representative Andrew Clyde, a Republican from Georgia, introduced legislation threatening to withhold millions in federal funds from the city unless the mural was removed and the plaza renamed.
The mural was created in June 2020, at a time when demonstrations over the murder of George Floyd were erupting in cities across the United States.
It was painted a few days after federal authorities used chemical spray and smoke grenades to clear protesters near the White House so that Mr. Trump could walk to a historic church and pose for photographs holding a Bible.
At a town hall last week, Ms. Bowser, a Democrat, said that the mural was a significant part of the city’s history. But “now our focus is on making sure our residents and our economy survive,” she said.
Ms. Bowser did not say whether the mural’s removal was in direct response to any specific actions or threats by Congress or the White House. She has said that the decision had been made for some time, and in a social media post last week, she said that the plaza would be redesigned as part of a citywide mural project in connection with the country’s 250th birthday.