Photo by Ronê Ferreira from Pexels — Photo by **Ronê Ferreira** from **Pexels**

If you have read my previous posts, you may have seen that I check out a few different YouTube channels. One my my recent favorites is Legal Eagle, where a Washington, D.C based practicing attorney covers various topics. In one of his recent videos, “American Carnage at Lafayette Square,” he discussed President Trump’s staged photo opp in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church. I highly recommend that you check out his balanced, insightful and measured analysis of the incident.

From Point A To Point B

Here are some facts regarding this St. John’s Episcopal Church/Lafayette Square incident:

On 6/1/2020, there were protesters in Lafayette Square.
Around 6:30 PM, federal police cleared a path from the White House to St. John’s Episcopal Church. To put the walking into perspective, below is a map showing the route:

As you can see from the provided screenshot, Lafayette Square provides a direct route to the church. Per the National Park Service’s website, it is a public park.
From what I understand, the intent of his visit to St. John’s was to “inspect” it, as it sustained some damage the night before.
Per the New York Times account, just before he walked to St. John’s, he said that he was “your president of law and order,” while also “an ally of all peaceful protesters.”
To facilitate his journey, an irritant and other means were used to clear out the protesters. When I viewed footage, it looks like at the front of the protesters’ line(s) that they were on their knees with their hands up, when they were rushed by various law enforcement.
At St. John’s, per the New York Times’ account, there was an Episcopal seminarian, Julia Dominick, caring for an injured protester.
Per The Religion News Service, there were at least 20 priests and various lay people, organized by the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, to minister to the protesters. Per this account and from others that I have read, St. John’s patio was cleared of these individuals. This would make it appear abandoned.
It was in front of this patio that he took the awkward photo of him holding out a bible. I have read multiple accounts that The Bible was provided by his daughter, Ivanka. When asked if it was his bible (a valid question), he responded that it was “a Bible.”

I know that there’s a lot here, so let’s recap:

He wanted to have a photo opp at the church within walking distance.
The church wasn’t abandoned. There were clergy and laypeople there ministering to injured protesters.
There were protesters in Lafayette Square.
Video prior to clearing the protesters shows them on their knees with their hands up in non-threatening postures.
Video shows the protesters getting rushed.
Clergy and laypeople were cleared out of the St. John’s patio.
He has the photo opp that includes him holding “a Bible.”

Returning to the Legal Eagle video analyzing this incident, which I referred to at the top of the post, think about what happened here. To make this photo opp possible, two Constitutional rights were violated:

First Amendment: “…the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
First Amendment: “…prohibiting the free exercise thereof [religion]”

While the first violation might be clear, let me clarify the second. Per the account of those present at the St. John’s patio, they were ministering to injured protesters. In the truest sense, they were loving their neighbors as themselves. While engaging in these caring acts, the priests and laypeople were removed from a church, so that he could take a photo in front of it holding “a Bible.” While he has repeatedly used protecting religion as a talking point, how did he protect it here?

Was It Worth It?

In looking at this incident, I feel that, in how the protests and riots will be discussed, this will be one of the defining moments. While I have been writing this, Joint Chiefs chairman, General Mark Milley, issued a statement regretting his presence there, as it gave the “perception of the military involved in domestic politics.”

I hope that you can agree with me that a president should never direct constitutional rights to be violated, especially those to peacefully assemble/protest and freedom of religion. Am I saying that every protester has obeyed the law or hasn’t been confrontational? No, I am not. What I am saying is that there is no excuse for law enforcement forcefully removing protesters that are literally on their knees. I am a firm believer in accountability and I have to look at whomever issued the orders.

Above violating the right to peaceful assembly/protest, even more egregious was how the people at St. John’s were forcibly removed to provide the illusion that the damaged church was abandoned. Recently, I was part of a social media exchange where the other person still believed that St. John’s was “boarded up.” Truthfully, I’m unsure what his intent was in being seen in front of St. John’s Church, commonly referred to as “The Presidents’ Church,” where every president since Madison has stepped foot in it at least once. Considering the seething, stinging rebuke from the DC Episcopal bishop, The Rev. Mariann Budde, I don’t think that he was successful.

Freedom For All, Not Freedom For Some

In discussing the events revolving around this incident at Lafayette Square/St. John’s Church, I can only state the facts regarding what happened. In stating these facts, I hope that those that haven’t yet understood how the constitutional rights to assemble/protest and of freedom of religion were violated at some very high levels can not see it. If this doesn’t trouble you, I feel that it should.

As I have followed the events responding to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, as well as to these recent Arbery, Taylor and Floyd incidents, I find it fascinating how the right and left, respectively, have a lot more in common in terms of the filters that they use. Some people perceived the stay-at-home orders and other associated regulations as infringements of their rights. On the other hand, African-Americans, POCs and their associated allies viewed the Arbery, Taylor and Floyd incidents as tangible violations of the victims’ constitutional rights to due process (“…nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”) and equal protection (“…nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”). I’m not an attorney, so there might be additional violations of their rights of which I wouldn’t be aware.

Whether you are right or left and if you believe in The Constitution and in its protections, as they are written, I think that we can agree how there should be equal protection for all. Where this doesn’t exist, we need make sure that it does. Since the Arbery, Taylor and Floyd incidents as well as numerous other incidents have show, there is still a marked disparity in how African-Americans and other POCs are treated, as well as deserving the right to have their rights protected at the same level as other individuals. Again, if we believe in equal protection for all, but it’s not yet happening, then we should do something to make sure that it is a reality.

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