page_title: 16th Street NW
section_title: Black Lives Matter mural and renaming
hierarchical_section_title: 16th Street NW / Black Lives Matter mural and renaming
caption_attribution_description: English: "Black Lives Matter Plaza" Street sign at the corner of 16th and K Streets NW in Washington, D.C. Español: El letrero de la calle "Black Lives Matter Plaza" en la esquina de los calles 16th y K NW en Washington, D.C.
context_page_description: 16th Street Northwest is a prominent north–south thoroughfare in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. Part of Pierre L'Enfant's design for the city, 16th Street begins just north of the White House across Lafayette Park at H Street and continues due north in a straight line passing K Street, Scott Circle, Meridian Hill Park, Rock Creek Park, and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center before crossing Eastern Avenue into Silver Spring, Maryland, where it ends at Georgia Avenue. From K Street to the District line, 16th Street is part of the National Highway System. The Maryland portion of the street is designated Maryland State Highway 390. The entire street is 6.4 miles long.
  The Washington meridian, a prime meridian once in use in the United States, follows the street. Part of the street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Sixteenth Street Historic District. In June 2020, the section immediately north of the White House was renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza.
context_section_description: On June 5, 2020, DC Public Works Department painted the words "Black Lives Matter" in 35-foot yellow capital letters on 16th Street NW near the White House and Lafayette Square, with the assistance of the MuralsDC program of the D.C. Department of Public Works. The D.C. flag accompanies the text. Later that day Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that part of the street outside of the White House had been officially renamed to Black Lives Matter Plaza.
  On Saturday, June 6, 2020, activists altered the mural. The stars were removed from the D.C. flag, changing it to an equals sign, and the words "defund the police" were added, resulting in the mural reading "Black Lives Matter = Defund the Police".
caption: Black Lives Matter Plaza
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