No Permanent Fence Around Lafayette Park

In early 2026, the Trump administration closed Lafayette Park, Malcom X (Meridian Hill) Park, and Columbus Circle (in front of Union Station) for repairs. The other two parks reopened in the spring, but even though the repairs at Lafayette Park have been completed it remains closed, surrounded by an ugly anti-riot fence.
In mid-July, the National Park Service published a proposal to erect a permanent fence around Lafayette Park, which it asserts is needed to protect the security of the President in the White House, but which we view as yet another effort by the Trump administration to prevent speech the President doesn’t want to hear. For more than 100 years, Lafayette Park has been perhaps the single most important forum for First Amendment activity directed at the President, from the Suffragists of the early 20th Century to the Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd’s murder.

While the proposed fence would have gates that would theoretically be open under normal circumstances, we fear that they would often be closed to prevent First Amendment activity or even to trap demonstrators already in the park.

Under the National Historic Preservation Act, proposed changes to historic places like Lafayette Park must be reviewed with an eye toward minimizing destruction or interference with their historic values. We have signed up as a “consulting party” under section 160 of that Act so that we can participate in that process, seeking to protect the park’s historic use as a public forum. As part of that process, on August 26, 2026, we submitted a letter to the National Park Service outlining our concerns. We will continue to participate as that process moves forward.