In 2020, Muriel Bowser, who refers to DC as a “chocolate city,” ordered a Black Lives Matter sign to be painted on a major DC street near the White House.
However, painted letters were not enough; she then spent $4.8 million to cripple city traffic and convert this major artery from a four-lane road to a two-lane road. Millions more were spent to add benches, fancier street lights, and commemorate artwork along the street. In 2023 alone, $272k was spent to replace the painted letters with acrylic panels.
By the end of 2024, the acrylic panels already looked terrible and faded.
After a 4.5-year fiasco, Muriel Bowser now plans to spend over $600k to remove the acrylic panels and convert the street back to a four-lane road. Media outlets claim the Trump administration pressured Bowser to end this farce.
History of the site:
October 28th, 2021, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that, since July 2021, Washington DC had spent a colossal $4.8 million on what she now called “Black Lives Matter Plaza [BLMP].” This amount does not even include what the city spent to paint the letters in the street in 2020.
The $4.8 million paid for:
- One vehicular lane in each direction of 16th Street NW (northbound and southbound) providing access to area properties (hotel, church, offices, etc.)
- Colored pavers used for the roadway surface instead of traditional asphalt
- A bright yellow “BLACK LIVES MATTER” mural with durable, yellow thermoplastic paint on top of a bonded concrete
- 14’ Center Pedestrian Plaza
- Cobble stone pavement, lighted bollards, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-accessible push buttons for traffic signal, and refreshed crosswalk markings
However, Bowser said another $3 million had already been earmarked for BLMP
This $3 million would pay for:
- Reconstructing nearby sidewalks
- Installing commemorative works
- Adding new benches, lighting, signage, and street trees
According to city records obtained by Judicial Watch, Washington, DC, spent another $271,231 last September to freshen up the sign.
A staggering $53,551.20 was allegedly spent on Streetbond 250, a Methyl Methacrylate [MMA] acrylic resin-based flooring system. This included 185 pails of yellow, 37 pails of catalyst, and 22 pails of each of a two-part optional primer.
An unbelievable $217,680 was spent on a company called Dewberry for labor.
The absurd amount of money blown on a “mural” in the street has raised questions about corruption, as well as the priorities of city officials. The total cost of BLMP is now at least over $8 million.
