DC mayor blasts Trump at Democratic convention for handling of protests

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) blasted President Trump during the Democratic National Convention on Monday for his handling of the George Floyd protests in front of the White House.

“It was here that just weeks ago Americans donned face masks and safely and peacefully protested the death of George Floyd,” she said. “But while we were peacefully protesting, Donald Trump was plotting.”

“I knew if he did this to D.C., he would do it to your city or your town, and that’s when I said enough,” she added. “I said enough for every Black and brown American who has experienced injustice, enough for every American who believes in justice.”

Law enforcement used tear gas to disperse a crowd of protesters in front of the White House on June 1, before curfew and shortly before the president crossed Lafayette Square and posed for photos in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church with a Bible. 

Bowser said she created Black Lives Matter Plaza along 16th Street in D.C., near the White House, “as a place where we could come together to say enough” and elect presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden as president. 

“We can’t just paint those words behind me,” she said. “We can’t just say those words. We have to live those words. We have to undo the laws and systems that have codified racism for far too long.”

The D.C. mayor called on viewers to take action and “challenge our own biases.”

Bowser spoke during a portion of the virtual convention focused on racial justice, a key issue for the party since Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody sparked nationwide protests and calls for reform.