White House Fortified with Enormous Fence Ahead of Busy Weekend

As Friday night falls over our nation’s capital, the overwhelming sentiment among the American people is curiosity about what tomorrow will bring.

Authorities expect that Saturday’s protest crowds will be the largest we’ve seen so far during this eleven-day-long demonstration against racial injustice and police brutality.  At this point, the protest movement is very likely the largest of its kind in modern history, and stands to grow ever larger in the coming days and weeks.

In anticipation of what the weekend could bring, the White House has been outfitted with some extra, precautionary barriers.

In the 72 hours since Monday’s melee at Lafayette Square, the White House has been transformed into a veritable fortress — the physical manifestation of President Trump’s vision of law-and-order “domination” over the millions of Americans who have taken to the streets to protest racial injustice.

The White House is now so heavily fortified that it resembles the monarchical palaces or authoritarian compounds of regimes in faraway lands — strikingly incongruous with the historic role of the executive mansion at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, which since its cornerstone was laid in 1792 has been known as the People’s House and celebrated as an accessible symbol of American democracy.

This week’s security measures follow nighttime demonstrations just outside the campus gates last weekend that turned violent. White House officials stressed that Trump was not involved in the decision to beef up security or to increase the fencing around the compound’s perimeter, with one senior administration official saying that the precautions are not unique to the Trump administration.

Let’s pray that these precautions are not necessary.