"The site had a small tent and a banner reading "Live by the bomb, die by the bomb," the AP reports. Activist William Thomas started the vigil in 1981, and it is likely the longest continuous antiwar protest in the U.S. Thomas died in 2009, and then Melaku-Bello and others took overthe site, staffing it 24 hours a day to avoid actions like Sunday's."
""The difference between an encampment and a vigil is that an encampment is where homeless people live," Philipos Melaku-Bello told the AP. "As you can see, I don't have a bed. I have signs, and it is covered by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and freedom of expression." He is in touch with attorneys about possible legal action."
"Donald Trump was unaware of the site until Brian Glenn, a reporter with the conservative network Real America's Voice, pointed it out to him Friday. "Just out front of the White House is a blue tent that originally was put there to be an anti-nuclear tent for nuclear arms," Glenn said, according to the AP. "It's kind of morphed into more of an anti-American, sometimes anti-Trump at many times." Trump then told his staff to have it taken down."
Park Police removed all items from a long-running peace vigil site near the White House during a clearance of homeless encampments. A volunteer staffing the site said the setup was a vigil, not an encampment, and invoked First Amendment protections while contacting attorneys about potential legal action. The vigil featured a small tent and a banner reading "Live by the bomb, die by the bomb," and originated in 1981, later staffed continuously to prevent removal. The White House characterized the setup as a hazard, and the removal followed a Trump staff directive after the site was pointed out to him.
Read at Advocate.com
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