Mayor Bowser didn’t just stop at pomp and circumstance, however. Amid being hotly criticized for the way the D.C. police have handled the protests that have happened every night in the city for over a week, Bowser requested President Trump to withdraw all federal law enforcement and military police across the city and specifically raised concern about the amount of federal law enforcement officers patrolling the streets of D.C. without any identifying insignia, which is required in the city. The move to paint the mural also comes after the President staged a photo-op at St. John’s Church in D.C., using tear gas and rubber bullets to break up a peaceful protest at Lafayette park so he could do so. Protests will continue in the city over the next few weeks and across the country.
