Heard on the street: I witnessed a “peaceful” protest that I saw in front of the White House a few days ago. This was going on right outside the new gate/wall/fence that is being built. It is the same type of fence that I remember from all of my other visits to the White House from the age of 13 until now-except it is very tall. Why? Because, since President Obama was in office and now through President Trump’s residency, people have become less respectful and more willing to jump the fence. Regardless of what you think of ’44 or ’45, you don’t want some renegade or just an “accidental tourist” wandering up to the White House unaccompanied. Think of the unintended consequences.
I recall being young and seeing the Vietnam protesters on television—hundreds of them– walking, chanting, yelling, and marching daily past President Lyndon Johnson’s oval office window. In those days, respect for authority was under assault, but young protestors didn’t jump the fence. The point was to protest and be heard, not have a bad day in jail.
So, we have a new fence/gate/wall going up. It’s still the People’s House. We still have access. We still can see everything going on. It just that the perimeter and the height has expanded. But I heard this comment on the street: “Trump wants a wall? Now he’s got one.” I also heard blessing and cursing going on simultaneously.
What I saw last Saturday was a conglomeration of tourists, protestors, agitators, and peaceful Americans trying to make a point. Just for good measure, a street hockey game was going on in front of Blair House.
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