The current story is that federal forces used tear gas, rubber bullets and horses to remove peaceful protesters from Lafayette Park to clear a path for Trump’s photo op. As bad as it was, the park is under federal jurisdiction and control.
St John’s Church is not part of the park. It’s across H Street NW. The church is not federal property. Trump did not obtain permission to use the space from the Episcopal Diocese. As reported, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington has made her objections very clear.
What’s not being discussed is how the military secured the church space. [edited to add article link. Sorry.] They forcibly evicted clergy and protesters seeking care and shelter at the church from the grounds with gas and rubber bullets.
Back at St. John’s, Gerbasi said she was dressed in clerical garb and standing on church grounds as police approached.
“I’m there in my little pink sweater in my collar, my gray hair up in a ponytail, my reading glasses on, and my seminarian who was with me — she got tear gas in her eyes,” she said.
Gerbasi said that as she and the seminarian watched, police began to expel people from the church patio.
“The police in their riot gear with their black shields and the whole bit start pushing on to the patio of St. John’s Lafayette Square,” she said, adding that people around her began crying out in pain, saying they had been shot with nonlethal projectiles.
Gerbasi and others eventually fled the scene, leaving emergency medical supplies behind. By the time she reached K Street several blocks away and checked her phone, Trump was already in front of the church holding a Bible.
Trump’s military used force to commandeer church property and expel clergy and people seeking care. They violated the implied sanctuary a church normally provides. This is a lot worse than trespassing for a photo op. This should be a warning to any church that might get in the way of this rogue regime.
Spread the word.