Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 26 October 2020

Title

Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 26 October 2020

Coverage

H Street NW and 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C., USA

Description

Protest signs and posters on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, located on the north side of Lafayette Park in Washington D.C.

There is a photo with multiple posters that reads “Defund Police and Make Cops Hold Bake…” with the rest of the poster ripped off. Another one reads “Shut Down Trump”, “No Justice No Peace” with other words written on this poster. “Fuck Racism”, with a sticker that reads “Americans Against Racism” and another poster that reads “3 cops were caught on camera fantasizing about killing black people” and the name on this poster is “Michael Kevin Piner” and on the rest of the poster are are quotes from the video. There is a photograph of Jacqueline Salyers that reads “Rest in Power”.

There is a close up shot of a poster from a quote of Susan Collins (R-ME) [Republican of Maine] and it reads “I do not believe he [Trump] is the president that we need at this time in our country's history I believe that... he is antithetical to the values of the Republican Party.”

There is a black poster with yellow spray paint that reads “BLM”. The poster next to it reads “While Vietnam Veterans served their country... Trump served up another golf ball... and when he got older he served himself to your tax bailout to keep it in business... a self-serving type!” And above these posters are multiple photos of those who lost their lives to police brutality, and they read either “#SayHerName” or “Rest in Power”.

There is a poster that reads “Black Lives Matter Black Trans Lives Matter Black Incarcerated Lives Matter” next to this is a photo Ruth Bader Ginsburg that reads “RBG I dissent”. Underneath this is a poster of Timothy Russell who lost his life to police brutality. Under this photograph is a poster that reads “It is not enough to be non-racist we must be Antiracist” which is a quote by Angela Davis. There is a drawing of the US Capital that also has what looks to be a bill that reads “AntiRacist Policies” and next to this is a poster of a trans flag that reads “Black Trans Lives Matter” on top of it.

Source

The Black Lives Matter Memorial fence was a temporary chainlink fence installed in the area north of Lafayette Park and the White House from June 2, 2020, until January 30, 2021. The fence prevented public access to the area, and it also served as an important site of protest and self-expression.

Activist Nadine Seiler played a crucial role in protecting and caring for the fence, along with Karen Irwin and other activists in a loosely-formed group informally known as the "Guardians of the Fence." Nadine Seiler and Aliza Leventhal systematically documented the fence over the course of months, and Seiler became the de facto curator of the fence. 

Additional information: 

Library of Congress blog post "Protest Preserved: Signs from D.C.'s Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence" 

D.C. Public Library Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence Artifact Collection”

Rights

Photographer: Aliza Leventhal

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Publisher

Urban Art Mapping

Date

2020-10-26

Contributor

MM