Several trucks rolled past Black Lives Matter Plaza on Friday after members of the People’s Convoy vowed earlier to “take it back.”
Since arriving in the Washington metro area on March 4 to protest COVID-19 mandates, the gathering of 18-wheelers and cars has mostly stayed on the Capital Beltway but in recent days began slowing traffic within city limits.
In a video posted on Twitter Friday morning, a speaker at the convoy’s staging site declared the group’s new aim in Washington.
“What’s going to happen up here in D.C.: Black Lives Matter Street, we’re gonna take it back,” said a man at the group’s morning send-off meeting. “All that paint is coming off the street.”
Later Friday, a small group of trucks drove near the two-block plaza that’s just a stone’s throw from the White House and then departed the area.
The bright yellow markings denoting the BLM Plaza, which was established during the nationwide George Floyd protests in 2020, remained intact as of Friday afternoon.
On several occasions this week, the convoy made detours into the city, creating traffic jams and infuriating residents.
The protest echoes Canada’s Freedom Convoy that overtook several Canadian cities and key border crossings for several weeks last month.
Nearly all U.S. cities have curbed many pandemic restrictions in place during the height of the pandemic. Federal mask mandates remain in place for public transport and flights.
• Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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