Joining arm in arm, thousands of protesters partially surrounded the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in a demonstration against a decision close the Washington, DC icon for two years.
The protesters gathered as the sun set on Sept. 18, three days after the decision came down from the center's board, which was hand-picked by President Donald Trump. The move followed a federal judge's second ruling that Trump's name could not be added to the building, culminating months of legal dispute as the president contended that the center needed to be renovated, that only he could raise the money for it, and that his administration should be recognized for it.
"Don't lay a finger on JFK's memorial," said Chris Crowley, co-founder of Hands Off
the Arts, which organized Friday's rally.
The protest drew over 6,400 people who "showed up to protect this memorial to John F. Kennedy," said Tara Hoot, a DC-based drag artist who led the programming. Hoot added that "this stands as a memorial to an assassinated president."
Donning anti-Trump gear, the protesters began the demonstration by joining a performer who sang the National Anthem and ended with a crowd rendition of "America the Beautiful." In between, they chanted "take it down" about a tarp that remains blocking the center's name. The name was blocked after Trump's name was added to the building and then ordered taken down by a judge.
Speakers at the demonstration include actress Lynda Carter, known for her role as Wonder Woman and politicians including U.S. Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson of Illinois and DC Councilman Robert White, the Democratic nominee for the district's non-voting congressional delegate seat.
"The Kennedy Center will forever be the people's house," Jackson said. "This is not the Melania and Donald J. Trump House."
Earlier on Sept. 18, Trump continued to defend his stance about his name being on the building, saying that the center had "been a dump" and "lost money" for years. He said that he would subsidize the necessary repairs but said that his administration should be recognized.
"I don’t mind doing the job, but if I do the job, I think the Trump administration, including Bobby, but the Trump administration should be recognized," Trump said in the Oval Office while Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert. F. Kennedy Jr. stood behind him. Kennedy is the nephew of the former president memorialized by the center.
Protesters hoped to wrap an unbroken human chain around the Kennedy Center's perimeter, but fenced-off portions prevented them from completing it. The group linked arms and held hands around the building's eastern front side and southern walls.
One member of the crowd, Amniche Guerin of Prince George's County, Maryland, told USA TODAY that she is "definitely there" any time that there is an opportunity to protest the government.
"But definitely something as sacred as the arts, I think we all need to show up for," she added.
Another attendee, DC resident David Weiss, told USA TODAY that he came out because Trump wants to "put his name on a memorial for an assassinated president" and that the president is "holding it hostage."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Protesters form human chain outside Kennedy Center over closure
