'Black House Autonomous Zone' set up near White House as protesters clash with cops over Andrew Jackson statue
The police in Washington DC had used pepper spray to arrest protesters who had been trying to tear down a statue of ex-president Andrew Jackson. While they tried to pull the statue down, the DC police had started to break up the crowd and tried to clear the area. The protesters had set up a so-called 'Black House Autonomous Zone' near the White House.
Protesters can be heard shouting "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Andrew Jackson’s got to go" while throwing ropes around the statue of the controversial seventh president who is seen sitting on a horse in Lafayette Park on Monday night, reveals the Daily Mail.
The protesters in DC began using fences and barricades while demonstrators tried to create a perimeter in the area on Monday, June 22. They were able to block the St John's Episcopal Church near Lafayette Park and took to spray-painting 'Black House Autonomous Zone' or 'Bhaz', reported Washington Examiner.
Two people have been arrested for attempting to assault a police officer. Protesters were seen locking arms around the statue. There were also police helicopters flying low above and witnesses said that officers used pepper spray to disperse the protesters.
The Post reveals that the statue of Jackson is still standing though protesters did manage to do a lot of damage to the wooden wheels of four replica canons at the base of the monument. Lafayette Park has been the site of many clashes between protesters and the police.
We had previously revealed that Trump was recently seen posing with the Bible while outside St John's Episcopal Church. Trump decided to walk down to St John's Episcopal Church from the White House through Lafayette Park on Monday, June 1, where his accessory of choice for a photo op was none other than the Bible.
He held a Bible close to him, as he posed for the cameras. Trump did not seem to realize that he was holding the bible upside down. Many people started wondering whether Trump was 'the Antichrist'.
The US Park Police, however, denied claims by Democrats and the corporate media that the whole opportunity was made possible because they used tear gas to disperse the crowds gathered there.
Last month protesters had been seen outside the White House and as a result, Secret Service agents rushed the president and his family to an underground bunker. POTUS tweeted, "Numerous people arrested in DC for the disgraceful vandalism, in Lafayette Park, of the magnificent Statue of Andrew Jackson, in addition to the exterior defacing of St. John’s Church across the street."
"10 years in prison under the Veteran’s Memorial Preservation Act. Beware!" the tweet read.
Prior to the attempt to tear down the Jackson statue, the authorities started clearing tents that were near the Black Lives Matter Plaza. DC Police Chief Peter Newsham shared, "They were creating a potential safety hazard."
"We can’t have people setting up tents on public streets," Newsham added. A protester, Frederick Brown, 24, revealed that he was shot with pepper spray by a DC police supervisor while he tried to prevent officers from taking down the tents.
Brown said, "We put the tents in the street so that cars wouldn't be able to come through, so people could protest. They came up here agitating because they want this street open." He added, "We have been out here every day feeding people for free. We have been peaceful overall. It’s not a fight against the government. It’s not a fight against the police. It’s a fight against injustice."