Overview

• President Trump told staff in the Oval Office on Sept. 5 to "take it down today," referring to the White House Peace Vigil in Lafayette Park.
• The White House offered no clarification on next steps, and there was no reported action by the Interior Department or National Park Service as of early Sept. 6.
• The vigil, founded in 1981 and maintained by Philipos Melaku-Bello with rotating volunteers, is widely described as the nation’s longest continuous political protest.
• Rep. Jeff Van Drew has pressed Interior to review the site and remove it if warranted, while Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton argues the demonstrators are protected by the First Amendment.
• National Park Service rules require the vigil to be continuously staffed to qualify as a demonstration, and police were seen speaking with participants Friday night without dismantling the site.