Death of George Floyd: a huge "Black Lives Matter" painted near the White House

"Black lives matter", literally "black life matters", is the slogan chosen by activists mobilized against violence against blacks. It also took on Friday June 5 the name of an avenue in Washington.  

Since the wave of emotion aroused by the death of George Floyd, who died on May 25 under the knee of a white policeman from Minneapolis, the Democratic mayor of Washington has engaged a collective of street artists to paint the three words of the slingshot in yellow letters over 200 meters and across the width of 16th Street, the central axis that leads to the White House. A way for the mayor of the American capital, Muriel Bowser to show his support for the demonstrators who have been protesting for a week against the police violence and Donald Trump. 

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser - officially renamed the road to the White House called 16th Street in "Black Lives Matter Plaza", the street that hosted seven days of protests against the death of George Floyd. # GeorgeFloyd # blacklivesmatter 📷: Getty Im pic.twitter.com/FQXxu1s97H

"We will have to continue when the paint is gone" 

The initiative, commissioned by the municipality of Washington, aims to "take the streets," said AFP Rose Jaffe, one of the artists of the collective Mural DC, while regretting that it is "also a little a communication operation ". And to add, "it will be necessary to continue when the paint is gone", asking in particular that "the police render accounts". 

"There is a dispute over the jurisdiction of these streets", located near the White House, a federal territory, said the chief of staff of the mayor, John Falcicchio. "The mayor wanted it to be very clear that it is a city street and that it is in honor of the demonstrators who protested peacefully on Monday evening". 

Violence  

On Monday, the forces protecting the White House violently pushed back the protesters gathered north of the White House, under the jurisdiction of the municipality.  

The goal was to clear the way for Donald Trump to walk to Saint John Church, an emblematic building nearby that had been degraded the previous evening by thugs, so that he could be photographed, bible at the hand. 

Donald Trump assumed this force deployment, believing that the authorities should "dominate" the overflows. 

But the presence of these reinforcements exasperates Muriel Bowser, who asked the Republican president to withdraw these additional federal and military forces, believing that this only fanned the anger of "peaceful" demonstrators. Local police, says Muriel Bowser, "are well equipped to handle large protests and first amendment activities" of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression and demonstration. 

National Guard 

She also denounced the presence of "unidentified" security force elements in the city. In addition to the Secret Service, which protects the White House, the government has called on soldiers from the National Guard of several states, as well as the military police, the federal police (FBI), the American anti-drug agency. (DEA), the border police (CBP), as well as the national park police and the prison police. 

She is even accused by Republican Utah Senator Mike Lee of having ordered that 1,200 National Guard soldiers, who depend on the Pentagon, leave the hotels in which they are staying.  

The news did not leave Donald Trump indifferent. If the mayor of Washington "does not treat these men and women well, we will call on other groups," he said in a tweet on Friday, calling the mayor "incompetent". 

With AFP    

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