Sunny Hostin, co-host of “The View”, expressed deep disappointment over the removal of Washington D.C.’s Black Lives Matter mural. She said she takes the decision personally due to her close friendship with BLM co-founder Alicia Garza, who launched the movement in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin.

During her appearance on “The View’s” Behind the Table podcast,

Hostin described the removal as a “continuation of the erasure of American history”.

She argued that the Black Lives Matter movement is the “second most important civil rights movement in American history”, and the removal of the mural is a direct attack on the progress made for racial justice.

Hostin blamed Republican lawmakers for pressuring D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to remove the mural. This came after Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia introduced a bill threatening to withhold federal funds from D.C. unless the mural was taken down and Black Lives Matter Plaza was renamed “Liberty Plaza”. Hostin called the move “extortion” and criticized the GOP’s political influence over the decision.

However, Hostin did not place full blame on Bowser, acknowledging that Washington D.C. cannot function without federal funding. In response to the controversy, Bowser announced that the mural and plaza will now be part of the “America 250 mural project”, which will allow students and artists to create new murals across the city.

Despite the new project, Hostin remains saddened by the removal, saying it reflects a larger effort to silence the Black community. Civil rights activists have also condemned the decision, calling it a step backward in the fight for racial justice.