Washington, DC, needs a fresh coat of paint – literally and metaphorically – with Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) knowing just where to start.
The Georgia Congressman is introducing legislation to restore the name of Liberty Plaza, renamed by local D.C. officials as Black Lives Matter Plaza amid the 2020 George Floyd riots, Breitbart News can exclusively reveal.
Clyde’s bill follows President Donald Trump’s call to restore the crime-ridden district to a condition deserving of the seat of government of the most powerful nation on the globe.
“President Trump is 100% right: we must clean up Washington, D.C. for the American people,” Clyde said in a statement exclusive to Breitbart News. “I believe that removing BLM Plaza must be part of this critical effort.”
Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), who has pushed legislation to remove D.C.’s home rule altogether, asserts restoring the city’s image requires eliminating a D.C. government-approved message undermining core American values. (Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images)
He added, “It’s past time for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority over Washington’s affairs to remove BLM Plaza and rename the street to Liberty Plaza. Our capital city must serve as a beacon of freedom, patriotism, and safety — not wokeness, divisiveness, and lawlessness.”
In February, Trump condemned the district’s inability – or refusal – to address crime and homelessness, stating, “I think we should take over Washington, D.C. — make it safe,” adding, “I think that we should govern District of Columbia.”
Congress has the authority to vet all D.C. laws, even outright overturn them, under terms of the Home Rule Act of 1973 that allowed the district some local autonomy. Trump says the district’s failure to perform its basic functions darkens the image of the nation’s capital when hosting foreign leaders and requires intervention.
“They’re not doing the job,” Trump said. “Too much crime, too much — too many tents on the lawns — these magnificent lawns… You just can’t let that happen. You can’t have tents on all your beautiful — your once magnificent plaza and lawns.”
Clyde, who has pushed legislation to remove D.C.’s home rule altogether, asserts that restoring the city’s image requires eliminating a D.C. government-approved message undermining core American values.
“BLM is a radical, defund the police organization — but we are not a defund the police nation. Yet the Left has allowed this deeply divisive slogan to shamefully stain the streets of America’s capital city for nearly five years.”
Before being paved over by the city, a complimentary “DEFUND THE POLICE” message was painted onto the street BLM Plaza as well.
In 2023, President Joe Biden signed a law introduced by Clyde to overturn the district’s Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 to weaken penalties for crimes despite the ongoing crime epidemic in the nation’s capital.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye
