Black Lives Matter Plaza's end — like its beginning — is a barometer of the times

WASHINGTON (AP) — It started as an ordinary D.C. intersection — a tourist destination with a modest white church on the corner, notable largely for an unobstructed view of the White House across Lafayette Park. Then, in the pandemic summer of 2020, it transformed.

The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police turned the nexus of 16th and H streets into a focal point for decades-old grievances over police brutality and racial inequities.

Even before it was named Black Lives Matter Plaza, thousands of protesters descended there daily, many staying around the clock as support tents and infrastructure sprung up. At times, the protests turned violent: A groundskeeper building in the park burned down; the church, St. John’s Episcopal, briefly caught fire; and at least one night saw storefronts destroyed downtown.

At other times, the violence was directed at protesters, including when police abruptly used chemical agents to clear out protesters, so President Donald Trump could pose in front of St. John's holding a Bible.

Later that year, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the creation of Black Lives Matter Plaza, with official street signs and “Black Lives Matter” painted in giant yellow letters on a multiblock stretch of 16th Street. The move was symbolic, but the impact concrete: BLM Plaza became a magnet point for years of political activism. Hundreds of protests started, ended or rallied there. Semipermanent protesters mingled with tourists; crowds brought vendors and food trucks, creating a street-fair vibe.

But Bowser's move was derided by local activists, who accused her of co-opting an organic movement whose values she did not share. In a brief game of cat-and-mouse, activists erased the stars from the Washington, D.C., flag painted on the street, creating the image of an equal sign; they temporarily changed the message to “Black Lives Matter = Defund the Police.”

Despite local resistance, Bowser's act of public defiance established her as a prominent foil for Trump in his first term.

Now, the site has changed again, an indicator of America’s political pendulum swings. Bowser announced early this month that the city would remove the words as she struggled with threats of encroachment from Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress.

The work was supposed to take at least six weeks, but appears to be finishing ahead of schedule. Workers have completed removing the letters.

And the street signs reading Black Lives Matter Plaza have come down.

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