By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said on Tuesday the Black Lives Matter Plaza near the White House will be redesigned as part of a new mural project after threats by Republicans to cut transportation funding if the plaza was not renamed.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Republican U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde introduced a bill on Monday that urged the District of Columbia to rename the Black Lives Matter Plaza or have the U.S. Congress withhold federal transportation funds. Republicans hold a majority in both chambers of Congress.
CONTEXT
Bowser, a Democrat, has been a vocal critic over the years of Republican President Donald Trump.
The mayor ordered the creation of Black Lives Matter Plaza in 2020 when the U.S. saw large anti-racism protests following the murder of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. Bowser was criticized by Trump at the time.
KEY QUOTES
“We have long considered Black Lives Matter Plaza’s evolution and the plaza will be part of DC’s America 250 mural project,” Bowser said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The mural inspired millions of people and helped our city through a very painful period, but now we can’t afford to be distracted by meaningless congressional interference,” Bowser added.
Her statement gave no timeline for the steps.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Christian Schmollinger)
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