The end of Washington DC’s Black Lives Matter Plaza is a sign of the Times

In the summer of 2020, an apparently ordinary intersection in Washington DC, home to a modest white church and a free vision of White houseIt has become a focal point for protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

The death of George Floyd In Minneapolis he turned on the complaints for a long extravagant, transforming the corner of the roads of the 16th and H into a hub for demonstrations.

Thousands of people gathered every day, even before the area was baptized The lives of the blacks count Plaza, with many who establish a constant presence such as materialized support and infrastructure curtains.

The protests from time to time have become violent, causing a fire in the episcopal church of San Giovanni and the destruction of a building in the park and shops.

Other times, the violence has been directed to the demonstrators, even when the police abruptly used chemical agents to free the demonstrators, then the president Donald Trump He could put in front of St. John’s Holding in Bible.

Later that year, mayor DC Muriel Bowser He ordered the creation of Black Lives Matter Plaza, with official road signals and “Black Lives Matter” painted in gigantic yellow letters in a multibloc section of 16th street.

The move was symbolic, but the concrete impact: Blm Plaza has become a magnetic point for years of political activism. Hundreds of protests have started, they ended up or gathered there. Semi-permanent demonstrators mixed with tourists; The crowds brought vendors and food trucks, creating a road atmosphere.

But Bowser’s move was derided by local activists, who accused her of co -opting an organic movement whose values ​​did not share. In a short game of cat and mouse, activists canceled the stars from WashingtonDC, flag painted on the road, creating the image of an equal sign; They temporarily changed the message in “Black Lives Matter = Defund The Police”.

Despite the local resistance, Bowser’s public deed has established it as an eminent sheet for Trump in his first term.

Now, the site has changed again, an indicator of the American political pendulum. Bowser announced at the beginning of this month that the city would remove the words While fighting with Trump’s invasion threats and controlled by the Republicans Congress.

The work had to take at least six weeks, but it seems that it is ending earlier than expected. The workers completed the removal of the letters.

And the road signals that read Black Lives Matter Plaza have fallen.