A decades-long peace vigil outside the White House is dismantled after Trump's order [View all]

Source: Associated Press, via WTOP

A decades-long peace vigil outside the White House is dismantled after Trump’s order

The Associated Press
September 7, 2025, 1:29 PM


White House Peace Vigil tent is seen in Lafayatte Park across the street from the White House in Washington, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)(AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement officials on Sunday removed a peace vigil that had stood outside the White House for more than four decades after President Donald Trump ordered it to be taken down as part of the clearing of homeless encampments in the nation’s capital.

Philipos Melaku-Bello, a volunteer who has manned the vigil for years, told The Associated Press that the Park Police removed it early Sunday morning. He said officials justified the removal by mislabeling the memorial as a shelter. ... “The difference between an encampment and a vigil is that an encampment is where homeless people live,” Melaku-Bello said. “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.”

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Melaku-Bello said he’s in touch with attorneys about what he sees as a civil rights violation. “They’re choosing to call a place that is not an encampment an encampment just to fit what is in Trump’s agenda of removing the encampments,” he said.

The vigil was started in 1981 by activist William Thomas to promote nuclear disarmament and an end to global conflicts. It is believed to be the longest continuous anti-war protest in U.S. history. When Thomas died in 2009, other protesters like Melaku-Bello manned the tiny tent and the banner, which read “Live by the bomb, die by the bomb,” around the clock to avoid it being dismantled by authorities.

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Read more: https://wtop.com/national/2025/09/a-decades-long-peace-vigil-outside-the-white-house-is-dismantled-after-trumps-order/

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29,353 views Premiered 21 hours ago THE WHITE HOUSE
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