A National Guard official will testify that a Park Police operation to remove protesters from Lafayette Square in front of the White House on June 1 was an “unprovoked escalation” against protesters “involved in the peaceful expression of their First Amendment rights. “
These comments are part of written testimony by District of Columbia National Guard Commander Adam DeMarco, who will appear before the House Natural Resources Committee Tuesday along with Acting Park Police Chief Gregory Monahan.
DeMarco is expected to testify that he was serving as a liaison between the city’s National Guard and the Park Police in Lafayette Square on June 1, the day the protesters were subjected to peppercorns and smoke cans in an effort to clear the area.
After the space was cleared, President Trump
Donald John Trump Biden to pay tribute to Lewis on Capitol Hill Monday. Cotton asked for comments on slavery in criticism of the 1619 Draft Congress slated for disorderly COVID-19 talks on a tight deadline. He walked through the park and was photographed in front of the nearby Church of San Juan.
“Upon arrival, I received a report from my liaison with the Park Police and learned that the task of the DC National Guard would be to support a Park Police operation to clean up protesters in the Lafayette Square neighborhood,” says his testimony.
“Park Police’s plan was to clear H Street between Vermont Avenue to the east and Connecticut Avenue to the west, and move north on Vermont Avenue, 16th Street and Connecticut Avenue to extend the security perimeter,” he said. “I was told that the immediate objective of this cleanup operation was to install a larger security barricade on H Street along the north edge of Lafayette Square.”
A Park Police spokesman did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
In previous comments on the incident, Monahan said smoke canisters and peppercorns were used to combat “violent” protesters.
He added that the protesters threw bricks, frozen water bottles and “caustic” liquids at the officers, but did not mention any type of “operation” to clear the protesters.
However, Attorney General William Barr
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In his testimony Tuesday, DeMarco is also expected to say that he did not believe the protesters were violent.
Those protesters, our fellow Americans, participated in the peaceful expression of their First Amendment rights. However, they were subjected to an unprovoked escalation and the excessive use of force ”, he will say.
Her testimony also describes officers using weapons “like paintballs” to shoot pepperballs at people.
“I saw protesters dispersing and fleeing as the Civil Unrest Unit attacked them. I observed that people fell to the ground while some members of the Civil Unrest Unit used their shields offensively as weapons, ”says the testimony. “I also observed unidentified law enforcement officers behind our National Guard members using weapons ‘like paintballs’ to unload what I later learned to be ‘pepperballs’ in the crowd, as protesters continued to back away.”
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