The White House put up a fence to keep protesters out of a public park. They turned it into a memorial for George Floyd.

by Anagha Srikanth | Jun. 08, 2020

signs cover a fence in front of the White House

Story at a glance

Since George Floyd’s death, demonstrators have been gathering outside the White House to protest against police brutality.
The White House has erected a fence around Lafayette Square to keep protesters out of the park.
People have put up posters with protest demands and memorials to Floyd on the fence.

The area around the White House has been open to protesters for centuries. And while security around its perimeter has grown tighter over the years, the fence is new.

Since protests began in Washington, D.C., over the killing of George Floyd, Secret Service and other federal law enforcement have put up barriers pushing demonstrators farther and farther away from the White House. An 8- to 10-foot-tall fence now surrounds the entrance to Lafayette Square and other parts of the White House complex.

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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said during a press conference that they had gone too far on June 4 when military forces blocked off 16th Street between H and I streets.

“We were all very concerned about how the federal assets pushed out from the federal complex,” she said. “When they pushed out onto a D.C. street, that is too far.”

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But protesters remain undeterred in their attempts to get the attention of the executive branch. Photos and videos on social media show signs secured to the fence protesting police brutality and demanding change. Other parts of the barrier serve as a memorial to George Floyd and others who have been killed by law enforcement.

The fence outside the White House has been converted to a crowd-sourced memorial wall — almost like an art gallery — to black men and women who lost their lives at the hands of police.

Hundreds are strolling, looking, adding names and paintings and posters. pic.twitter.com/mXlZpfMAeX

— Hannah Natanson (@hannah_natanson) June 7, 2020

The 8-foot chain link fence protecting the White House has become a sort of archive / exhibition of the D.C. protests with signs, memorials, flowers and art. pic.twitter.com/mvr0wBkOy6

— Rebecca Tan (@rebtanhs) June 6, 2020