Amidst Chaos-Driven Exodus, Washington Seeks $401 Million to Revamp Area Around Embattled ‘Black Lives Matter’ Plaza

While the mayor and city officials are blaming the downtown’s woes on the lasting impacts of the pandemic and increased telecommuting, local businesses and property owners at Washington D.C. are expressing more concern over the rise in crime.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
City workers repaint Black Lives Matter Plaza on 16th Street following the removal of the lettering for a construction project on May 13, 2021 at Washington, D.C. The words 'Black Lives Matter' was painted on the two-block section of 16th Street last year in the wake of the George Floyd protests. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

As Washington D.C. suffers from a flight of business coinciding with a surge in violent crime, the city’s mayor is proposing a $401 million plan to revitalize the capital’s struggling downtown, focusing on the troubled area around “Black Lives Matter Plaza” a few blocks from the White House.

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