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Violence Gives Way to Street Fair Vibe Outside White House

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON - That massive fence erected around Lafayette Park has
   become a do-it-yourself gallery of protest art. Messages, posters and
   portraits, ranging from loving to enraged, almost blot out the view of
   the White House across the way.

   One block away at the corner of 16th and I streets -- a constant flash
   point for most of last week -- the calliope version of "La Cucaracha"
   rang out from an ice cream truck parked just outside the police
   roadblock. In front of St. John's Episcopal Church, it was so tranquil
   Monday afternoon you could hear the birds chirping while a white
   visitor paid for a $20 Black Lives Matter T-shirt with Venmo.

   As the nation's capital emerges from a violent and chaotic 10-day
   stretch of protests and street battles, a different mood is taking
   hold. The anger has given way to something closer to a street fair as
   community leaders, members of Congress and the D.C. government have
   rallied to the protesters' cause.

   "For me this is exactly the sort of atmosphere it should be," said
   Leigh McAlpin, a writer and veteran activist from Baltimore, who was
   staffing a medical relief tent offering water and snacks. "Last night
   we were doing the 'ChaChaSlide' in the street."

   Police have turned a several-block area north of Lafayette Park, in
   front of the White House, into anopen airpedestrian space. The area is
   pristine, with no sign of broken glass and only minimal graffiti
   visible. The clearest sign of last week's protests -- other than the
   massive yellow "Black Lives Matter" painted in the middle of 16th
   Street -- is the sheets of plywood covering almost every window on the
   block. At the medical relief tents, the number-one priority was no
   longer dousing people with milk and antacid to counter the effect of
   smoke bombs and pepper balls.

   "Please stay hydrated. We have free water here," said one volunteer
   over a loudspeaker. "Donald Trump is not your friend and neither is the
   sun on a day like this."

   The National Park Service says part of Lafayette Park will reopen
   Wednesday. Spokeswoman Katie Liming said Monday that most of the
   temporary fencing will be removed. Some fencing will remain in
   Lafayette Park around damaged areas to allow workers to make repairs
   and address safety hazards. Liming gave no time for when the rest of
   the square would reopen.

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