On Friday morning, the so-called “People’s Convoy” seemed to reveal a new goal for the right-wing trucker movement: Reclaim the two-block-long Black Lives Matter Plaza in downtown Washington, D.C. “What’s going to happen up here in D.C.: Black Lives Matter Street, we’re gonna take it back,” a speaker declared during the group’s daily morning meeting after being tossed the microphone by organizer Mike Landis. “All that paint’s coming off that street,” he continued. The group further pledged to enlist the help of motorcycle riders in the storming of the city, with a goal to “tar and feather” the pedestrian-only section of 16th Street NW painted in honor of the protests following the police killing of George Floyd. “And then we are gonna tar and feather all our delegates,” the speaker concluded. Following the publication of this article, DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) and Metro Police sent The Daily Beast a joint statement, in part reading: “As part of our layered mitigation strategy and enhanced preparedness posture, MPD has all the resources and necessary support they need to monitor and respond to any instances of illegal activity or harmful disruption.” Convoy organizers didn’t return a request for comment.
