The ever-present White House Peace Vigil tent, an iconic staple across from the executive mansion for the last 44 years, was removed by National Park Service Police on September 7 by order of Donald Trump. Trump, who claimed to have not previously known of its existence, when informed of its presence, labeled it an “eyesore” and ordered its removal as part of his erasure of homeless encampments in his "beautification" of Washington campaign.

The peace vigil, started by William Thomas, an anti-nuclear peace activist, began his protest on the sidewalk outside the White House in 1981. Soon afterward, he and the tent were moved to Lafayette Park for security reasons. A second activist, Concepción Picciotto, joined Thomas there and the two occupied the vigil on a rotating basis 24/7 in their quest to see an end to nuclear weapons and war. Since Thomas’ death in 2009, the peace vigil has been constantly attended to by volunteers around the clock, making it the longest continuous anti-war protest in American history.

The tent’s removal hardly means the end of the Peace Vigil as activists are still manning the site along with its two remaining signboards. When asked why everything at the site was not removed, a long-time activist manning the space said the Park Police swooped in suddenly, focused solely on the tent, and after gathering it up, left.

“White House Peace Vigil” Tent Forcibly Removed

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