Protesters return to D.C.'s Black Lives Matter Plaza for 16th day of demonstrations

By mid-morning on this sparkling June day, a growing number of families, bikers and dog walkers, many wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts and "I can't breathe!" face masks had made their way to the blocks near Lafayette Square and the White House that have become the focal point of protesters for the past two weeks.

The scores of police and demonstrators who squared off in violent clashes at the outset of the protests more than two weeks ago had been replaced with visitors who came to take pictures of signs and murals that blanketed the area, including the yellow large block lettering reading "BLACK LIVES MATTER" painted by the city on 16th Street between Lafayette Square and K Street in Downtown Washington.

"I guess our time is now," said Barrington Mack, who rode his red and black bike to the newly christened Black Lives Matter plaza from his home in the city's Ledroit Park neighborhood. "All of our concerns have never been voiced like this since the 60s."

Mack, 50, wore a black t-shirt emblazoned with the words, "I'm not a gentrifier. I've been here. DC Native" written on it. It was his first visit to the plaza since protests began in the Washington. He said seeing the display was a good start.

"For me it's a very important symbolic gesture," Mack said. "The District is acknowledging what we've been suffering for 400 years. We need discussions to bring unity and healing to our country."

"And make sure you get this down," he added, pointing to a reporter's notebook, "reparations should be the be all and end all of those discussions."

Andre McLemore stood Saturday with his two children, admiring the collection of signs remaining on the black fence outside Lafayette Park.

"Matter is the minimum," read one sign that McLemore read with his 16-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. "Black lives are worthy."

McLemore, 49, said he decided to bring the children for the first time to the protest on Saturday because he had had been worried in previous days about safety.

"It was important for them to see the movement and the outrage, not only from black Americans but from all the minorities," said McLemore, a federal contractor from Gaithersburg, Md.

He said he has been having more conversations with his son, Donovan, about how to interact with police recently as he prepares to start driving. He said he tries to teach his children to love everyone, regardless of their race, but also to realize that not everyone feels the same.

"We have to try to explain that some people might not like them, solely because of their race," he said. "Those are tough conversations. It's a fine line to walk."

Donovan McLemore said he was heartened to see the diversity of the crowd Saturday morning.

"It's show that we are coming together," said McLemore.

More than a dozen vendors set up tables along 16th Street, NW selling tee shirts, masks and posters for those who wanted to proclaim their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Hassan McEachin, 26, had piles of t-shirts and masks for sale on his table at 16th and I. The Olney, Md., resident said he earned $5,000 in sales Friday and sold out of his supply. On Saturday he brought hundreds of children sized shirts to sell.

"A lot of people were asking for shirts for their kids yesterday, so I knew they would do well," McEachin said. Another vendor nearby was aiming at an even younger market. He was doing a brisk business selling Black Lives Matter onesies for infants.

Additional protest marches and gatherings Saturday were planned across the city and in neighboring suburbs. Not all demonstrators in Washington Saturday were voicing support for police reform and structural change.

At mid-morning, two dozen white people and a few black men gathered on the National Mall in a show of support for law enforcement - the first such event the nation's capital has seen in more than two weeks of protests over the death of George Floyd.

The event, called "We Back Blue," is meant to give conservatives a voice in the ongoing national conversation about the role of police, according to a video posted to Facebook by organizer Melissa Robey. The schedule for the event included speeches and a march to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

Close to 11 a.m, the kick-off time, the handful of attendees gathered by a boom box playing pop music, picked up custom t-shirts designed for the occasion and posed for pictures. They were nearly outnumbered by the D.C. police on motorcycles who had assembled to guard the procession.