{"slug":"lafayette-square-protest-crackdown","title":"Lafayette Square: Militarized Crackdown on Peaceful Protesters for a Photo Opportunity","date":"2020-06-01","lastUpdated":"2020-06-01","description":"On June 1, 2020, federal officers used chemical irritants, mounted police, and baton-wielding officers to violently clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square — adjacent to the White House — so President Trump could walk to St. John's Church for a photo holding a Bible. The assault occurred without warning and preceded Trump's curfew time.","summary":"Amid nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd, federal law enforcement — including National Guard units, Secret Service, Park Police, and Bureau of Prisons officers — forcibly dispersed a peaceful crowd in Lafayette Square using pepper balls, chemical irritants, rubber bullets, and mounted police. Minutes later, Trump walked through the cleared square to hold a Bible at St. John's Church in a staged photo.","category":"civil-rights","severity":"critical","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/us/politics/trump-st-johns-church-bible.html","title":"Protesters Dispersed With Tear Gas So Trump Could Pose at Church","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.npr.org/2020/06/01/867532070/trumps-unannounced-church-visit-angers-bishop","title":"Trump's Church Visit Angers Bishop; Protesters Were Cleared From Park","publisher":"NPR"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-police-george-floyd-764bc75be4f0e59e20f00c4d3e36dc6d","title":"Probe into use of force to clear DC protesters finds Barr ordered it","publisher":"The Associated Press"},{"url":"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-21-388","title":"Capitol Grounds: Additional Enhancements Needed to Improve Security Posture","publisher":"Government Accountability Office"},{"url":"https://www.reuters.com/article/us-minneapolis-police-floyd-trumplafayett/u-s-park-police-used-force-to-clear-white-house-protest-report-idUSKBN2391Y9","title":"U.S. Park Police Used Force to Clear White House Protest Area Ahead of Trump Walk","publisher":"Reuters"},{"url":"https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/trump-admin-paid-over-2-million-to-settle-lafayette-square-protester-lawsuit/3389481/","title":"Trump Admin Paid Over $2 Million to Settle Lafayette Square Protester Lawsuit","publisher":"NBC Washington"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["protest","police-brutality","first-amendment","Lafayette-Square","George-Floyd","first-term","political-repression"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2020-05-25","title":"George Floyd murdered","summary":"Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kills George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes. Protests erupt nationwide."},{"date":"2020-06-01","title":"Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act","summary":"Trump convenes a call with governors and threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty military to suppress protests. He calls state officials 'weak' and tells them to 'dominate' protesters."},{"date":"2020-06-01","title":"Lafayette Square cleared — 6:34 PM","summary":"Without warning and 26 minutes before the curfew goes into effect, federal officers attack the peaceful crowd with pepper balls, CS gas, rubber bullets, and mounted police. Journalists are among those hit. Medics from a First Aid station set up by the protesters are also dispersed."},{"date":"2020-06-01","title":"Trump photo op — 7:01 PM","summary":"Trump walks from the White House through the now-cleared Lafayette Square, accompanied by officials including AG Barr, Defense Secretary Esper, Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley, and advisor Ivanka Trump. He stands in front of St. John's Church and holds a Bible for photographs without speaking."},{"date":"2020-06-03","title":"Defense Secretary Esper publicly distances himself","summary":"Secretary of Defense Mark Esper publicly states he was not aware the walk was a photo op and did not support invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty military domestically. He is fired by Trump months later."},{"date":"2020-06-03","title":"Former Joint Chiefs chairman Milley expresses regret","summary":"Gen. Mark Milley, who walked with Trump through the square in military uniform, later apologizes: 'I should not have been there. My presence... created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.'"},{"date":"2020-06-11","title":"DC Park Police IG investigation launched","summary":"The Interior Department's Office of Inspector General launches an investigation into whether the timing of the crowd dispersal was connected to Trump's planned photo op."},{"date":"2021-06-09","title":"IG report: Barr ordered expanded perimeter","summary":"The Interior Department OIG report finds that Park Police leadership was told by Barr's office to expand the perimeter — but claims the timing was not connected to Trump's photo walk. Critics note the timeline contradicts this conclusion."}],"location":{"name":"Lafayette Square, Washington, DC","lat":38.8977,"lng":-77.0365},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"judicial-finding","warCrimeClassification":"potential","internationalLaw":[{"statute":"International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights","article":"Article 21","provision":"Right to peaceful assembly — restrictions must be necessary and proportionate; dispersal for political theater fails this standard"},{"statute":"International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights","article":"Article 19","provision":"Freedom of expression — using force to silence protected political speech violates this right"},{"statute":"International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights","article":"Article 7","provision":"Prohibition on cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment — unprovoked use of chemical irritants on peaceful protesters"}],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Approximately 1,000 peaceful protesters forcibly dispersed; journalists and medics also attacked","perpetrators":"President Donald Trump (ordered clearance); Attorney General William Barr (authorized and directed federal force); Acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper; Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley","structuredVictims":[{"group":"Peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square","status":"Subjected to chemical irritants, mounted police, and batons without warning","count":1000}],"structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Donald Trump","role":"President of the United States","institution":"White House"},{"name":"William Barr","role":"Attorney General","institution":"Department of Justice"},{"name":"Mark Esper","role":"Acting Secretary of Defense","institution":"Department of Defense"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2021-06-09","summary":"Updated with Interior Department OIG report findings."},{"date":"2022-01-01","summary":"Updated with $2 million settlement in protester lawsuits."}]}}