Title

Protest signs and artwork on the Black Lives Matter Memorial Fence, Date: 28 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 are three posters that are outlines of people who have lost their lives to police violence and they reads, “Riah Milton 25 y/o Liberty Township, OH”, “Nigel Shelby 15 y/o Huntsville, AL” and “Robert Fuller 24 y/o Palmoale, CA”. Next to these posters is a cardboard poster that reads “Pro-Life? But you're against Black lives. Pro-Life? But you're against immigrants. Pro-life? But you're against Medicare For All. Pro-life? But you're against woman's health. You are not Pro-Life you are Pro-Birth.”

There is a poster that reads “Abolish the Patriarchy” and underneath this is a small note card that reads “Eviction Notice, Name: Donald Trump, Address: 1600 Black Lives Matter Plaza, Date January 20th, 2021 (Inauguration Day)”

There is a landscape view of a section of the fence that has a tapestry with black spray paint that reads “Black Lives Matter” and multiple posters of those who have lost their lives to police brutality as well as little flags that spell out “Defend Black...”

This is a shot of the fence and there is tape on it that reads “FUCK 12” and has two posters on it. One reads “Justice 4 DeonKay”. There is another poster with multiple names which reads “Karon Hylton DeonKay Dquan Young Marquese A[_]ton Jeffrey Price Eric Carter Isabel[__] Marquesha McMillan Sherman Evans Devonne Harris Peter John Terrance Sterling Bobby Gross Gerald Hall; We Remember” and underneath is a small poster that reads “I am a Black Man Not a Target” with the word “target” being outlined in red as well as a drawing of a target.

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

2020-10-28

Contributor

MM