New fence around the White House becomes a canvas for protesters

George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, racial injustice, police reform are all prominent messages.
Image:
Msafiri, 5, of Baltimore, stands among signs along the fence constructed at Lafayette Park including drawings of Breonna Taylor, Emmett Till, and Trayvon Martin, as demonstrators protest Sunday, June 7, 2020, near the White House.Jacquelyn Martin / AP

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By Dareh Gregorian

New fencing put up around the White House in an effort to keep protesters at bay has become a magnet for demonstrators, who've been decorating it with signs honoring George Floyd and demanding police reform.

Children stand in front of signs left on a fence surrounding the White House on June 7, 2020.LUCAS JACKSON / Reuters

The new taller fencing started going up around the White House complex last Monday, after federal officials forcibly cleared a part of the area of peaceful protesters shortly before President Donald Trump toured the area en route to a church that had suffered fire damage during rioting over the weekend.

The extra security measure was also implemented after The New York Times reported, and NBC News confirmed, that the president had been taken to a secure bunker during demonstrations on Friday.

The new fencing, which is about 8-10 feet tall, obscures views of the White House from the street, but protesters have turned it into a tourist attraction in its own right by hanging numerous signs along the fencing, including some with images of Floyd and others that say Black Lives Matter and calling for "police reform now."

Numerous demonstrators and visitors to the area have been posing for pictures in front of the signs.

Crosses are strung in a fence near the White House as demonstrators protest on June 7, 2020.Maya Alleruzzo / AP

It's unclear how long the fencing will stay up. A Secret Service spokesperson said last week that areas around the White House would remain closed until Wednesday.