Law enforcement officials removed a decades-long peace vigil that had stood outside the White House for more than 40 years after President Donald Trump ordered it taken down as part of a broader clearing of homeless encampments in Washington, D.C.
Philipos Melaku-Bello, a volunteer who has manned the vigil for years, said the U.S. Park Police dismantled the small blue tent early Sunday morning. Melaku-Bello told The Associated Press that officials justified the action by calling the memorial a shelter and an encampment, a characterization he rejected and said infringed on his First Amendment rights to free speech and expression.
The White House confirmed the removal, telling The Associated Press that the vigil was a "hazard to those visiting the White House and the surrounding areas." The action is one of a series of measures the administration has taken since initiating a federal takeover of policing in the city last month. The White House has defended the intervention as necessary to carry out an executive order on the "beautification" of Washington.
The small tent and banner, emblazoned with slogans opposing nuclear arms, were established in 1981 by activist William Thomas and are believed to constitute the longest continuous anti-war protest in U.S. history. When Thomas died in 2009, other protesters, including Melaku-Bello, took shifts to keep the vigil staffed around the clock to prevent authorities from removing it.
The dismantling followed a conversation at a recent White House event in which Brian Glenn, a correspondent for the conservative network Real America’s Voice, told the president the blue tent had become an "eyesore" and suggested it posed health and security risks. According to witnesses, President Trump then told staff, "Take it down. Take it down today, right now." Melaku-Bello said accusations that the tent harbored rats or weapons were unfounded, adding that no weapons were found and that no rats emerged as officials removed cinder blocks anchoring the tent.
Melaku-Bello said he is consulting with attorneys about what he described as a civil-rights violation. He and others who have maintained the vigil argued that the site is a form of protected political expression distinct from homeless encampments where people live.
Park Police and other federal agencies have in recent weeks increased enforcement actions around the White House and across the city, citing public safety and sanitation concerns as they clear encampments. The White House has portrayed those efforts as part of a broader aim to improve public spaces in the capital, while critics have questioned the sweeping federal role in local policing and the treatment of people who were living in encampments.
Officials did not provide immediate details about where the items from the vigil would be stored or whether any citations were issued. Advocates for the vigil said they would seek legal remedies and continue to press for their right to protest, while the administration maintained that the removal was conducted for safety reasons.
The removal underscores tensions in the capital between federal authorities and long-standing local protest traditions, and it highlights competing claims over the use and management of public space near the nation's seat of government.