The first major speaker of the Democratic National Convention on Monday was Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, who declared in her remarks that she “created Black Lives Matter Plaza,” as though it were something to be proud of.
The “plaza” doesn’t really even exist anymore, and Bowser herself has said it’s only a matter of time before it’s gone altogether, other than by name.
Bowser renamed the two blocks of space leading to the White House “Black Lives Matter Plaza” in response to the protests and destructive rioting over the death of George Floyd. She blocked off the street, which had normally been open to very busy traffic, and several T-shirt vendors showed up to use the space. Protests also continued there for a time.
When I went to check out the spot in late June, it should have served as less of something to brag about and been more of an embarrassment for Bowser. The luxury hotels there were boarded up. One of them, the Hay Adams, was completely closed down. A restaurant enjoyed by locals, P.J. Clarke’s, was also shut down. As of Monday, both were still closed, even as Bowser delivered her DNC remarks about how special the spot was. (Mind you, they weren’t closed because of the coronavirus — Washington rules allow them to be open.)
I walked down to BLM Plaza on Monday to see if anything had changed since the last time I went, and the answer is yes: While the hotel and restaurant are still closed, and other buildings remain boarded up, the vendors have all gone, and there are no more protesters.
One thing had remained, though. Bowser said in June that she wanted the streets there to be open for traffic, but the cinder blocks were still there, keeping cars from going through. Now I know why they were still there. They were there blocking a major roadway so Bowser could give her DNC speech.
