DC officials remove ‘Cuba Libre’ tribute, but plan to shut down streets to make BLM mural permanent

Our nation’s capital will now be forever etched with the words “Black Lives Matter” after Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser makes the plaza permanent.

The Democrat mayor announced the plan along with the District Department of Transportation last Friday, noting that lane closures are to be expected as Black Lives Matter Plaza becomes a permanent part of DC with the new installation including pavers, bollards, and a Black Lives Matter-lettered mural.

The installation is expected to take more than two months, with construction wrapping up on October 1. People will have local access to sidewalks and businesses, but no through traffic will be allowed until the mural is complete.

“Once completed, the permanent installation will protect pedestrian safety while accommodating vehicles and keeping with the spirit of the original mural design,” the DDOT announcement read.

Residents should be used to the inconveniences of Bowser’s virtue signaling. Last year, less than two weeks after the death of George Floyd, she officially renamed a section of 16th street as “Black Lives Matter Plaza.” It came with a new street sign and big, bold yellow lettering. More importantly, it sat right in front of the White House.

Even Black Lives Matter DC is seeing through Bowser’s actions as political theater as the mural was painted over in May. The group criticized and mocked her in a Tweet, saying, “@MayorBowser’s BLM performance has come to a close and set strike completed. We now return to her regularly scheduled performances.”

D.C. Commissioner Robin Nunn has high praise for the mural, saying, “it offers deep meaning around a movement that a lot of people are still very passionate about.”

However, he remains reticent on whether this will do anything to effect change or is merely a political stunt, saying that only “time will tell if that gets painted over and opened up to cars or not, but hopefully, the substantive issues will eventually be addressed.”

That passion for change was witnessed firsthand by the American public during last year’s riots. Hundreds of protests sprung up across the nation with many of them erupting into violence and fire. In D.C, protesters burned a historic structure, caused extensive property damage, and attempted the burning of historic St. John’s Church. Police were forced to combat protesters with tear gas, fights, and arrests. Violence escalated to the point that the Secret Service had to move then-President Donald Trump to the White House bunker as officers feared the perimeter might be breached.

In the nation’s capital, it seems it is acceptable for the left to lionize Black Lives Matter with a permanent plaza while support of Cuba’s freedom protesters is notably erased. The Washington Post reported that D.C. authorities wasted no time last week moving in to remove the words “CUBA LIBRE” — translated to “free Cuba” — which were painted on the street in front of the Cuban Embassy.

The painting was classified as “‘unauthorized” by a spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Public Works.

Meanwhile, the BLM tribute moves forward though how the design will look is up to the Dupont Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission. Renderings show a 14-foot pedestrian walkway squeezed in between two lanes of traffic. This plan isn’t sitting well with some.

Commissioner Michael Scott McKernan came down hard on the plan back in May, saying, “what’s been created here is an island that’s surrounded by a sea of traffic. It’s just not a place that people are going to feel comfortable.”

Commissioner William Herbig also criticized the plan, saying it’s “not really a plaza, that’s an auto plaza.” Instead, he has asked for a pause, saying that they should “call upon the creative community, with a focus on Black artists and talent.”

Shockingly, the proposal is nearly complete but reportedly has had no input from Black Lives Matter stakeholders.

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles