Mayor of D.C. has city workers painting 'Black Lives Matter' on street to White House.
Mayor of D.C. has city workers painting 'Black Lives Matter' on street to White House
Washington, D.C. has taken some very visible action to support the Black Lives Matter protests around the country.
On Friday morning, a group of people were seen painting the words "Black Lives Matter" in large yellow letters down two blocks of 16th Street, a two-lane road which leads to the White House.
The painters were commissioned by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, per CNN, and when New York Times writer Emily Badger happened upon the city workers on Friday morning, they casually said they were "just paintin' the streets."
Badger noted that the 16 eye-catching letters, which span the full width of the street, will "be a real middle finger to any federal forces flying overhead."
If you're curious as to what the statement looks like from above, check out this video that Mayor Bowser shared on Twitter alongside the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. The video was taken from a roof and music can be heard playing in the background.
Badger also added that the yellow paint is not temporary by any means — it appears to be the same paint city officials use to stripe road lanes.
The lettering comes as protests continue to spread throughout the city and hundreds of people gather each day outside the White House gates to condemn racism, police brutality, and the death of George Floyd — a black man who died on May 25, after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly 9 minutes.
After protests outside the White House escalated last Friday night, the Secret Service reportedly ushered Trump — along with Melania and their son Barron — to the underground presidential bunker, where they were said to have remained for nearly an hour.
On Friday morning, Mayor Bowser shared additional tweets that related to the Black Lives Matter paint. The first was a letter she wrote requesting that President Trump "withdraw all extraordinary federal law enforcement and military presence" from the city.
And the second was a video that showed a "Black Lives Matter" street sign being added to a lamp post in the city. "The section of 16th street in front of the White House is now officially 'Black Lives Matter Plaza,'" Bowser wrote in her tweet.
Mashable has reached out to the D.C. Mayor's office for comment and will update this article if we receive a reply.
UPDATE: June 5, 2020, 10:55 a.m. EDT Updated to include a tweet from D.C. mayor, Muriel Bowser.
UPDATE: June 5, 2020, 12:13 p.m. EDT Updated to include two additional tweets from Mayor Bowser.
Well there have been several hard work African-Americans that have done so much good, and it didn’t matter to the paid rioters who they destroyed. Honest hard working African-Americans that were still attacked by there same folk. How can we hold protests when they mame their own kind. The goal is to create chaos. Tonight there is supposed to be a peaceful protest in Niagara Falls, NY. Ya know what they have seven bus loads of these domestic terrorist waiting to demolish the City of Niagara Falls. So criminals actively being paid to hurt their own kind and citizens that have done nothing to them except exist. We look like fools to the outside world!
ReplyDeleteIt should read ALL LIVES MATTER!
ReplyDeletewould you like to speak to the manager?
Deleteomg. Please get with the program. All lives matter only when black lives matter. Until then, no!
Deleteplease share your experiences of threats by police and your false interrogations. Any assaults in your own home by police should be included too.
Deletedoesn’t get it.
Deletethat's your way of ignoring a problem.
DeleteNope! ALL lives aren’t discriminated against. ALL lives aren’t mistreated by the police. ALL lives aren’t forced to live in poverty. ALL lives aren’t more susceptible to COVID-19. Shall I go on??
Deletehttps://media1.tenor.co/images/a78ff049b3d5a65cbe7f34e87f9eed0b/tenor.gif?itemid=9140688&fbclid=IwAR3t9TEFb0eAR5Ivtc0hgK0QYI8dD5_w1mXeeQUK-6a4Cu3cAasMvbsSn9c
Deletehttps://www.vox.com/2016/7/11/12136140/black-all-lives-matter
DeleteWhy would this be a slap in the face to federal forces who have been on the side of George Floyd and justice since day one?
ReplyDeletebecause Mashable thinks their cute headlines will get more likes and comments
DeleteDidn't you just prove them right?
Deleteyes I realize that.. but the context of my "one" comment was worth it in my opinion. How are you today? Happy about all the violence and mayhem around your? Thought so!
DeleteNo.
DeleteI have no violence around me. But why is this violence worse than police violence? Or why is this violence worse than the violence that happens every year in cities that won or lost the super bowl? Why is this violence worse than the violence the US has put on the civilians of Afghanistan for the past 12 years? Or the Hong Kong protests? Violence at all levels is sad and most always unproductive. But frustration often leads to violence and sometimes it is instigated. Did anyone read about the 3 boogaloo men arrested for instigating violence in vegas by the fbi? Sometimes you just have to fight through and crap and stand up for what you believe.
DeleteThis DC mayor has grit.
ReplyDeletedoes that slang for no spine ◔_◔
Deleteno I wasn't talking about bonespurs in the bunker...
Deletelol.
DeleteAll Lives Matter is the goal. If it was true now the world will not be protesting with us.
ReplyDeleteBut it isn't true.
Deletewhat isn’t true? “Black Lives Matter” is the uncomfortable reminder that we still don’t live in a country where “All Lives Matter.”
DeleteI misunderstood your statement. We good. Carry on. ❤
DeleteAll lives don't matter until black lives matter too.
DeleteYes I agree!
Deleteblack lives matter
DeleteYES. I’m thinking people aren’t reading what I wrote very carefully. ❤
Delete"Federal forces flying overhead"? It's directed at the federal force at the end of the street.
ReplyDeletethe commander in chief of the federal forces might see it on his way to play golf.
DeleteWhat gonna happen is a lot of people will move,house will lose value, a Domino effect,on community, People looking for work there new boss might check out you fb post to see if that's the kind of person they're looking for,
ReplyDeletepretty sure there aren’t any houses on this stretch of 16th street, and the DC population, in addition to being largely democratic, has a larger percentage of black people than white
DeleteI would want to live next to that. I think it might increase value :)
Deleteyep, eventually the poverty leads to crime. The crime leads to policing. With crime and policing there's often brutality. It's a vicious cycle they've trapped themselves into.
Deletehttps://media1.tenor.co/images/6448a7ec4203b5d9083f06180d23797f/tenor.gif?itemid=16393911&fbclid=IwAR2FPueWfYM4qhBbY7O3Xdn8WOPKEVVosKjtOqCwTe1JRENnrTHGJ-GQs3I
Deletewill definitely increase value. I could start another chain location of my business there. Sounds like a great idea.
DeleteThis Mayor needs to be tarred and feathered and run out of office
ReplyDeletetRump can go first. Any ideas why the rest of America and the world hate him yet?
Deleteyes because tarring people is acceptable.
DeleteAccording to your logic, you should be tarred, feathered, and left ugly in your back yard.… See More
she needs a medal of valor for standing up to racism
DeleteThey used the same colour paint as the lines on the road . Lol
ReplyDeleteHope theres no car accidents as a result of it
It's 2 blocks. If you can't drive 2 blocks without having an accident, you shouldn't be driving.
DeleteI wont have to worry about that but thanks for your concern
Deletedude you live in Canada shut up
DeleteThey probably didn’t have any other color paint and no time to go to Home Depot!
DeleteAwesome! Hope everyone can see it well.
ReplyDeleteThis is what we need to see, politicians standing up to DJT. We have been waiting.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing that the Mayor can do this. In our country they would have had an "accident".
ReplyDeleteI believe that’s one of the reasons why these protests are happening on such a scale beyond previous BLM demonstrations. The general public is fighting to assert their rights over police state tactics and the current federal government’s fascist leanings.
DeleteThe protests are to help prevent future... accidents.
DeleteMeanwhile 16 murd… ahem.. accidents happen on the south side of Chicago every week.
DeleteI meant the Mayor would have been knocked off for daring to do such a thing.
DeleteI know what you meant. Too many have met their demise at the hands of police in this country in "accidents". But if you are a very visible person and not poor, it takes some rather exceptional circumstances for you to meet with an accident. As with Jeffrey Epstein.
DeleteDo people drive on this road? That does not seem very safe. I feel like some people have a hard enough time staying in their lane as it is.
ReplyDeleteAnd how much did that cost the taxpayers??
ReplyDeleteDont worry your welfare over it, They can just print more. You know, like they do for billionaires and bankers.
Deleteleas that the federal forces used to gas our peaceful citizens
DeleteTo you and I, its automatic that we care about All Lives mattering. BUT THERE ARE THOSE WHO DON'T VALUE BLACK AND BROWN LIVES. That is what we're dealing with now. Those who don't value black lives.
ReplyDeleteok so here’s a question no one answers. The so called black leaders & democrat party you all have voted for, has promised an end to racism, poor neighborhoods, etc etc & have done nothing. Why are you all still voting for people who promise u everything & deliver nothing?
DeleteIt should help against speeding drivers. You're not going to want to drive very fast over that stuff. Maybe use it in school zones as well.
ReplyDeleteBetter than shittily spray painting it all over the sides of buildings in ppls’ neighborhoods.
ReplyDeleteNothing a good oil spray down can't remove!
ReplyDeleteyou hate black people so much you want someone to go out and remove something that doesnt effect you at all?
DeleteRacist Snowflake....
Way to fly your racist flag.
Deletesince this is a city commissioned project that oil spray down would be vandalism and defacing public property.
Deleteperfect trump response, vandalize and pollute at the same time.
DeleteOh do keep up the blatant racism on public social media. I'm sure it'll work out real well for all of you.
DeleteThe first positive news I have seen out of America in a while!
ReplyDeleteYou mean George Soros pays off DC mayor to paint huge propaganda on a city street.
ReplyDeleteThis should be a nice homecoming as he (DJT) flies over in Marine 1 on his way back from Maine.
ReplyDeleteWell done!! Somebody has some cojones!!
ReplyDeleteSo we are accommodating and changing America for one race, no one else matters anymore.
ReplyDeleteWe have been coddling the white race for 400 years now, its time for a change.
DeleteAll lives only matter when black lives matter too.
Deletenow you're getting it :D
Deletehttps://media1.tenor.co/images/281275b1b12377fa7beff4a9f0ce9335/tenor.gif?itemid=15504611&fbclid=IwAR03107z2nmNyx6O91efRf9ez5XgOuDPngzD_FzauBNLg-pCgiQliLzaejI
DeleteSomebody still knows how to take wind out of the rioters' sails with some class.
ReplyDeleteThat mayor is nuts.
ReplyDeleteJust in case "he" finds it difficult to remember……..
ReplyDeletewe add in all the other colors as well?
Deleteeh! I have a fear "he" is very democratic on the matter….. "he" does not make any distinctions I am afraid. ;´(
DeleteI see an All Lives Matter print appearing on a neighbouring street,..... then this race war will start up again!!
ReplyDeleteGo paint this in Chicago or St Louis where black on black killing is an everyday occurrence.
ReplyDeleteNow, that is trolling of the BunkerBoy and his flunkies. Respect.
ReplyDeleteMayor has gone graffiti.
ReplyDeleteOur national monuments or defaced and What are you doing
ReplyDeleteOmg. I love this sooooo much! ❤
ReplyDeleteIf you look at the last 2 weeks or so, Looks like no lives matter.
ReplyDeleteWould have used less paint if they just painted a middle finger
ReplyDeleteThey should be painting this in Shitcago
ReplyDeleteI'll bet Trump wants to implode over this, so great work, DC!
ReplyDelete¿Really? Black Lives Matter. What about the four black officers killed by rioters?
ReplyDeleteYes them too.
DeleteCause a traffic hazard. Yeah, that'll show em !!!
ReplyDeletewould you like to speak to the manager?
Deletea har har har. Funny.
Deleteif you can't drive for a quarter of a mile without lines on the road and cause an accident then you shouldn't be driving ;=D ;=D
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete