This is getting drawn-out longer than the overdose of George Floyd…One more time, on Wednesday, April 2. 2025, The Independent ran this headline (AGAIN), “The end of Washington DC’s Black Lives Matter Plaza is a sign of the times.”
In the summer of 2020, a seemingly ordinary intersection in Washington D.C, home to a modest white church and an unobstructed view of the White House, became a focal point for protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis ignited long-simmering grievances, transforming the corner of 16th and H streets into a hub for demonstrations.
Thousands gathered daily, even before the area was christened Black Lives Matter Plaza, with many establishing a constant presence as support tents and infrastructure materialized.
The protests occasionally turned violent, resulting in a fire at St. John’s Episcopal Church and the destruction of a park building and storefronts.
At other times, the violence was directed at protesters, including when police abruptly used chemical agents to clear out protesters, so President Donald Trump could pose in front of St. John’s holding a Bible.
Later that year, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered the creation of Black Lives Matter Plaza, with official street signs and “Black Lives Matter” painted in giant yellow letters on a multiblock stretch of 16th Street.
The move was symbolic, but the impact concrete: BLM Plaza became a magnet point for years of political activism. Hundreds of protests started, ended or rallied there. Semi-permanent protesters mingled with tourists; crowds brought vendors and food trucks, creating a street-fair vibe.
” How in the world could anyone say that BLM Plaza had a street-fair vibe?” said Thomas Robb, National Director of the Knights Party of the Ku Klux Klan, from his office situated in the beautiful Ozark Mountains. “When I hear the word Plaza, I picture a nice clean, calm, and safe gathering place, whether it be a shopping mall or some other type of entertainment venue. BLM Plaza was none of the above. Here are some facts, the riots, which we were told were mostly ‘peaceful’ protests resulted in 2 deaths, 604 arrests, caused damage to at 1,500 different businesses, and costing taxpayers $550 million dollars in damage. The damage came in second to the destruction caused in the 1992 Los Angeles riots. This is what BLM Plaza stood for? And we celebrate that? And now we are told to mourn the loss of BLM Plaza. If you ask me, it couldn’t have been torn down fast enough. We are told we should celebrate in the memory of a criminal drug addict. George Floyd has been celebrated more than any White, Christian holiday in America! Statues were build of this junkie. It worries me the direction America is headed when we celebrate death and destruction over God.”
