Lafayette Square near White House reopens after nearly a year

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Ivana Saric
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Lafayette Square, a park located across the street from the White House, reopened on Monday after a roughly yearlong closure, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: The park has been closed to the public since last June, when police used tear gas and batons to clear Black Lives Matter protestors from the square so that then-President Donald Trump could stage a photo-op at St. John's Church.

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The big picture: Although some of the fencing remains, the park is now open, according to the Times.

  • The Secret Service did not give an explicit reason for the park's sudden reopening but noted in a statement that it is "committed to balancing necessary security measures with the importance of public access and view," per the Times.

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