Mayor Bowser paves over BLM Plaza

Early morning on Tues May 11, DC's Mayor Bowser paved over the Black Lives Matter Plaza lettering on 16th st. She never actually supported BLM as shown by her pro-police, pro-gentrification policies.

In Summer 2020, many times the Plaza was a battlefield. Untold quantities of flashbangs, tear gas grenades, and fireworks were expended there. At least one kettle (in August) was on the plaza. Either on the day protesters tried to pull down the Andrew Jackass statue or the day after, the plaza changed hands three times. Riot cops and protesters both deployed shields as flags burned, fireworks thundered overhead, and activists set up the Black House Autonomous Zone and barricaded the area.One the shield bloc was out, the cops seemed to recognize they were not in control and calmed down.

When actual BLM supporters added "Defund the Police" to the murel, it was paved over at the first opportunity.

The last known incident of battle on the plaza was on January 6. Black Lives Matter Plaza was the one place the Proud Boys were losing fights. They showed up in bite-sized crews of 5 or 6 and started trouble with the plaza's defenders. Young folks from NE finished those fights, firing pepper mace back at the Nazis and in once case knocking a fascist out with a single well-aimes punch.

While liberals treated the plaza as a place for a photo op (a tradition Trump started with the infamous Bible incident at St Johns), to serious activists it is a battlefield people fought and bled to hold. Now the Mayor (who always had her cops fight on the other side) has cravenly paved it over.