Clearing of Lafayette Square

On Just 1st, 2020, a few days after the murder of George Floyd, a crowd of nonviolent protesters were violently dispersed by a variety of law enforcement actors, clearing the way for then President Trump to pose for a photo-op in front of St. John's Church. 

The aggressive response, and the lack of warning to the protesters, was captured on live television and well documented via social media. As protestors and ordinary people sympathetic to their cause shared the videos across the internet, they brought widespread condemnation to the highly disproportionate acts and to the President for seemingly orchestrating them. 

This time it wasn’t only democratic politicians and the other voices which were regularly criticizing the Trump administration; religious leaders spoke out against the photo op as antithetical to the teachings of the bible. Military leaders also affirmed that the violence was unnecessary and excessive. 

The next day, the protests against police brutality were even larger, galvanized by the backfire efforts. By revealing how the military was attacking its own people who were exercising their first amendment rights, the clearing of Lafayette Square initiated critical backlash against President Trump’s handling of the Black Lives Matter protests and moved public opinion in support of the protesters.