You might have seen pictures of the new Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, D.C., on social media, but it looks even more spectacular from the sky. Check it out today in Apple Maps, which already offers the latest satellite imagery.
Black Lives Matter Plaza is a two-block section of downtown Washington, not far from the White House, which was renamed by Mayor Muriel Bowser on June 5 following the death of George Floyd while in police custody on May 25.
Not only has the street been renamed, but “Black Lives Matter” has been painted onto it in 35-foot capital letters. You’ve likely already seen it if you’ve been on social media or read the news at all in recent days.
Now you can get an even better view of it inside Apple Maps.
Visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Apple Maps
Simply fire up Apple Maps on a Mac or iOS device and search for “Black Lives Matter Plaza NW.” Then switch to satellite view.
Black Lives Matter Plaza also can be found in Google Maps, but that service’s satellite imagery hasn’t yet been updated, so you won’t see the painting on the road. Did Apple beat Google to the punch? Yes and no, it seems.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac
It looks like Apple is using some trickery. If you zoom in closely on Black Lives Matter Plaza in Apple Maps, it seems older imagery has been cleverly (but not completely seamlessly) edited to feature the road painting.
Still, it’s great that anyone can visit this location inside Apple Maps and see the message in all its glory.
The death of Floyd, a black man who died after a white policeman kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes, has led to outrage and protests in the United States and other countries. Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook published an open letter urging people to “stand together” and acknowledge the “deeply rooted discrimination” in the United States. “We must aim higher,” Cook wrote.
