Democratic congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer called on US President Donald Trump to open up Lafayette Square, which is located across from the White House, to the public following the George Floyd protests in Washington
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2020) Democratic congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer called on US President Donald Trump to open up Lafayette Square, which is located across from the White House, to the public following the George Floyd protests in Washington.
Last week, the Federal law enforcement services extended the defense perimeter surrounding the presidential residence, including Lafayette Square, amid the protests triggered by the death of George Floyd. Earlier, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that there was no decision regarding the removal of the park's fence.
"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. On June 1, 2020, you were responsible for ordering federal officers to force peaceful protestors from the Square using tear gas and other violent means, in clear violation of the protestors' First Amendment rights of free of speech and assembly," Schumer and Pelosi said in a joint statement.
On May 25, George Floyd, an African American man, died in Minneapolis police custody in the US state of Minnesota. A video of the arrest showed a white police officer pressing his knee onto Floyd's neck for at least eight minutes while the detainee was kept handcuffed on his stomach, repeatedly saying he could not breathe. The incident has sparked protests against police violence and racism in various cities across the US and in other countries.
