Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter Monday to President Donald Trump calling for Lafayette Square, the area in front of the White House, to reopen.
“We call on you to immediately reopen Lafayette Square to the public, a place which has long been a venue where Americans can gather to freely exercise their constitutional rights in close proximity to the White House. On June 1, 2020, you were responsible for ordering federal officers to force peaceful protestors from the Square using tear gas and other violent means, in clear violation of the protestors’ First Amendment rights of free of speech and assembly,” the joint letter reads.
“This deeply offensive action was taken in service of the regrettable political stunt you staged at St. John’s Church that evening. You have now erected heavy, semi-permanent steel fencing to wall off the Square. Your conversion of this unique public park in the heart of our Nation’s capital to what looks like a militarized zone denies citizens access to the park and sends the worst possible message to the American public and people around the world. Lafayette Square should be a symbol of freedom and openness, not a place behind which the leader of our Executive Branch cowers in fear of protesters who are crying out for justice,” the two continued.
The President must immediately reopen Lafayette Square to the public.
This unique park should be a symbol of freedom & openness, not a militarized zone behind which President Trump cowers in fear of protesters who are crying out for justice. pic.twitter.com/xvsVjtfsO2
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 8, 2020
The area in front of the White House has been blocked off since protests erupted in front of the White House after the death of George Floyd, who died while in police custody after an officer put his knee into the back of his neck for over eight minutes while he was handcuffed and on the ground.
Last Monday, Trump walked out of the front of the White House and across the street, through Lafayette Square, to St. John’s Church, which was set on fire by protesters the night before. (RELATED: President Trump Walks Out Of White House, Holds Up Bible In Front Of St. John’s Church Amid Protests)
The move came just minutes after Trump gave a speech in the Rose Garden of the White House about the riots taking place across the country and about Floyd’s death.