Schumer, Pelosi call on Trump to reopen Lafayette Square from ‘militarized zone’

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) are demanding President Trump reopen Lafayette Square to the public, saying it currently resembles a “militarized zone.”

The two Democratic leaders sent Trump a letter on Monday, insisting he “tear down these walls, reopen Lafayette Square,” which is located across the street from the White House, so that the public can “gather there for you and all the world to hear their voices.”

“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,” they wrote.

The National Park Service announced last week that areas around the White House including “all of Lafayette Park will be closed to the public” between June 4 and June 10.

Protesters were forcibly removed from Lafayette Square on June 1 shortly before Trump walked through the area to St. John’s Episcopal Church, where he briefly spoke, held a Bible and had his photo taken. Reporters then spotted fencing going up to block off access to the park later in the week.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters on Monday that “I don’t have any announcements with regards to the fencing. That’s not something that’s in White House control in terms of securing the perimeter.”

Pelosi and Schumer, in their letter, said the fencing turned the public park into “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,” they added. “It is simply not credible to claim that the current protests justify the oppressive walls you have erected in response.”