washington washington mayor muriel bowser has drawn a battle line right up to the white housebowser one of seven black female mayors of americas 100 largest cities on friday declared a small but symbolic patch of the us capital a section of 16th street bounded by a church on one side and lafayette square opposite the white house on the other black lives matter plazathe democratic mayor then had the district of columbias departments of transportation and public works paint giant yellow letters spelling black lives matter followed by the citys flag on the street spanning two city blocks leading to plaza to finish bowser posted on twitter a video taken from a nearby roof showing the white house overlooking the resultsthere are people who are craving to be heard and to be seen bowser told a news conference and to have their humanity recognized and we had the opportunity to send that message loud and clear on a very important street in our cityglynda carr president and chief executive of higher heights for america pac a political action committee dedicated to helping more liberal black women win elective office said bowser showed the world that she leads unbought and unbossed carrs organization has never raised money for bowserfor his part the republican president denounced bowser as incompetentwashingtons status as the seat of the federal government has not always been a comfortable fit for its residents or elected leaders the citys population of about 700000 people 464 black and 456 white according to the census bureau is politically liberal and heavily democraticthe ongoing protests over the death of george floyd a black man who died in police custody in minneapolis last month have heightened that tension and thrust bowser mayor since 2015 into the national spotlightbowser has supported peaceful demonstrators while denouncing violence and looting trump has advocated a militarized response to civil unrest and even summoned a contingent of activeduty troops to washington though they were never deployed on the streets bowser said she did not want any outofstate military forces in washingtonwhen trump threatened protesters who come near the white house with vicious dogs and ominous weapons bowser shot back with a comment that summed up their relationshipthere are no vicious dogs ominous weapons there is just a scared man afraidalone i call upon our city and our nation to exercise great restraint even while this president continues to try to divide us bowser wrote on twitterafter batonswinging federal police fired smoke canisters flashbang grenades and rubber bullets to drive away peaceful protesters near the white house so trump on monday could pose holding a bible in front of a church near what is now black lives matter plaza bowser called the scene shamefula single mother to a toddler bowser is only the second woman to serve as washingtons mayor and the first to win a second term in officelike other elected officials in washington over the years bowser has