https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Administration


Photo by Julian Wan on Unsplash

Article

DC mayor commissions ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural on street leading to White House, BLM organizers not impressed by ‘performative’ gesture

DC mayor commissions ‘Black Lives Matter’ mural on street leading to White House, BLM organizers not impressed by ‘performative’ gesture

  • Written by Derek Prall
  • 5th June 2020

In an attempt to show solidarity with protestors demanding police reform and justice for the black men and women killed by law enforcement, Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington D.C., had the slogan “Black Lives Matter” painted in massive block letters on the road leading to the White House. She also renamed the painted section 16th Street “Black Lives Matter Plaza.”

“There was a dispute this week about whose street this is,” John Falcicchio, Bowser’s chief of staff, said in a tweet. “Mayor Bowser wanted to make it abundantly clear that this is DC’s street and to honor demonstrators who (were) peacefully protesting on Monday evening.”

The dispute Falcicchio referenced was a controversial photo-op held by President Trump in which the president walked from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. through Layfette Square Park to St. John’s Episcopal Church to say a few words of encouragement and strength while holding a Bible. To accomplish this, law enforcement was ordered to clear protesters from the president’s path – a move even some of Trump’s allies have criticized as both unconstitutional and unnecessarily violent, according to Politico.

The painting of the slogan coincided with Bowser sharing a letter addressed to the president in which Bowser informs him she has ended the state of emergency in the city and requests the withdrawal of “all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence from Washington, DC,” including the “unidentified federal personnel patrolling the streets…” Here the mayor is referring to reports of  troops wearing riot gear with no identifiable markings patrolling the nation’s capital.

On Friday morning, local artists and public work crews emblazoned the slogan in huge yellow letters spanning both lanes of traffic, CNN reports. While the project is visually striking, officials from one of the protest movement’s main organizers, Black Lives Matter, were not impressed by the display.

A tweet from the official D.C. chapter of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, dismissed the mayor’s actions, calling them empty gestures, NBC News reports.

“This is a performative distraction from real policy changes,” the tweet read. “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.”

Tags: Administration News Administration News Article

Most Recent


  • Partnership launches no-cost wastewater monitoring service for local governments
    Of all the important lessons cities and counties have learned since the pandemic began, high up on the list is the value of working together. No one community can solve cross-jurisdictional challenges alone—that’s a concept that’s at the heart of a new initiative launched by the National League of Cities (NLC) and WastewaterSCAN that brings […]
  • With passage of PACT Act, veterans service officers are preparing for an influx in applicants
    With the recent passage of legislation that expands medical access for veterans exposed to airborne toxins during their time in military service, county veterans service officers are preparing for an influx in applicants who were previously rejected. The Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, having passed the Senate after being struck down last […]
  • Chattanooga, Tenn.
    Capitalizing on hybrid work, these 10 cities are ready to take advantage
    Hybrid work is an accelerating trend that’s becoming the norm as attitudes rapidly change. And amid this nationwide shift to work-from-home setups, local governments are moving quickly to capitalize on the emerging opportunities that come with a workforce that’s not physically tied to any particular office building. For administrators seeking to entice remote workers to […]
  • Increase in emergency response time caused by insufficient staffing, traffic congestion
    The pandemic has detrimentally impacted cities and counties in a lot of different ways, including an increase in emergency response time in some cities—a symptom of challenges like congested streets and staffing shortages. In New Orleans, for example, a report from AH Analytics commissioned by the New Orleans City Council found it takes an average […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery

White papers


Modern American Perspectives on Law Enforcement

14th July 2022

Reimagine the Employee Experience

12th July 2022

How to Assemble a Rockstar Website Redesign Steering Committee

7th June 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Partnership launches no-cost wastewater monitoring service for local governments dlvr.it/SW7N74

5th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Investing in America’s onsite wastewater treatment systems for equity and sustainability dlvr.it/SW4Mb9

4th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

With passage of PACT Act, veterans service officers are preparing for an influx in applicants dlvr.it/SW4KTg

4th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

The 5 Procurement Superpowers Shaping the Future of Public Procurement dlvr.it/SW4DqT

4th August 2022
AmerCityCounty

This exclusive whitepaper presents the most recent nationwide data that give an unbiased view of how residents real… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

3rd August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Capitalizing on hybrid work, these 10 cities are ready to take advantage dlvr.it/SW0cjT

3rd August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Increase in emergency response time caused by insufficient staffing, traffic congestion dlvr.it/SVxcLn

2nd August 2022
AmerCityCounty

Local governments find document imaging solutions through cooperative contracts dlvr.it/SVxJnL

2nd August 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X