The Georgia Congressman is introducing legislation to restore the name of Liberty Plaza, which was renamed by local D.C. officials as Black Lives Matter Plaza during the 2020 George Floyd riots, Breitbart News can exclusively report.
Clyde’s bill follows President Donald Trump’s call to restore the crime-ridden district to a state worthy of the seat of government of the world’s most powerful country.
“President Trump is absolutely correct: we must clean up Washington, D.C. for the American people,” Clyde said in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News. “I believe that removing BLM Plaza must be part of this critical effort.”
He added, “It’s past time for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority over Washington’s affairs by removing BLM Plaza and renaming the street Liberty Plaza. “Our capital city must be a beacon of freedom, patriotism, and safety, not wokeness, divisiveness, and lawlessness.”
In February, Trump criticized the district’s inability – or refusal – to address crime and homelessness, saying, “I think we should take over Washington, D.C. — make it safe,” and “I think that we should govern the District of Columbia.”
The Home Rule Act of 1973, which granted the district some local autonomy, gives Congress the authority to review and even overturn all D.C. laws. Trump claims that the district’s failure to perform its basic functions tarnishes the image of the nation’s capital when hosting foreign leaders and necessitates intervention.
“They’re not doing their job,” Trump said. “There is too much crime and too many tents on the beautiful lawns…” You cannot let that happen. You can’t have tents all over your beautiful — once magnificent — plaza and lawns.”
Clyde, who has pushed legislation to abolish D.C.’s home rule entirely, claims that restoring the city’s image necessitates the removal of a D.C. government-approved message that undermines core American values.
“BLM is a radical anti-police organization, but we are not a defunding nation. Nonetheless, 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, the street BLM Plaza also had a complimentary “DEFUND THE POLICE” message painted on it.
In 2023, President Joe Biden signed a bill introduced by Clyde to repeal the district’s Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022, which weakened crime penalties despite the ongoing crime epidemic in the nation’s capital.
