The Trump administration wants to fence off parts of Pennsylvania Avenue outside of the White House, shutting down a historic space for political protests.

The Washington Post reports that the administration and Secret Service plan to put fences where Pennsylvania Avenue crosses 15th and 17th Streets NW, allowing them to close pedestrian access if they decide there are security risks.

Multiple presidential administrations have used temporary barriers on Pennsylvania Avenue, but the Secret Service’s suggestion to erect permanent fences there has faced pushback as a clear attempt to restrict public access to the White House. The Trump administration is also planning to put up permanent fencing around Lafayette Square, a public park across from the White House and another historic protest space.

  • A_norny_mousse@piefed.zipEnglish
    11·
    11 days ago

    Honestly, the so-called “Free Speech Zones” are far worse than this.

    Also

    YOURE FIRED
    You stupid fuck

    Somehow I guessed this was a bit older already… in 2026, merely criticizing his incompetence isn’t enough anymore.

      • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        5·
        11 days ago

        And worse, they actually existed long, long before the Bush era, they just became more widely used and Obama extended those practices by giving Secret Service right to restrict speech and make arrests. Which in itself was seemingly in response to the Occupy Wall Street protests. The problem is laws like these build up over time, allowing new and more abusive people to come in and further expand the powers of the government and reduce the rights of citizens.

        https://www.aclu.org/news/national-security/how-big-deal-hr-347-criminalizing-protest-bill

        We’ve truly been a nation in decline for over fifty years now, at least.

        • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
          1·
          11 days ago

          No, MAGA is honestly doing a lot of what Mamdani is doing just in reverse, using and exploiting existing policy to justify actions. Like how with the tariffs they claimed it was legal under one statute, and when the Supreme Court struck that down, they just used a different statute with slightly different rules, and kept the tariffs.

          MAGA has had actually very few real policy wins other than the Big Beautiful Bill. Most things they do are by Executive Order and use novel (read: bullshit) legal justifications for it.

          Mamdani is using on the books policy to help people. Trump is using on the books policy to strong arm people and force his decisions through any legal chicanery necessary.

          • A_norny_mousse@piefed.zipEnglish
            2·
            11 days ago

            real policy

            I had my qualms using the word policy up there. But in the widest sense even ruling by executive order is policy.

            • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
              3·
              11 days ago

              My point is a lot of those wouldn’t be possible without pre-existing policy.

              So much of what we knew only as bitter satire has been turned into policy by MAGA.

              My point is that I disagree with the idea that it was “bitter satire” that has been “turned into” policy by MAGA. Because they have decades of bad policy to lean on to help justify their Executive Orders. These things didn’t happen by chance, they’re purposefully exploiting holes in the system.

              Free speech zones go back to the 70s at least, and Obama expanded Secret Service powers for tightly controlling any event where a person with SS protection might be, including denial of free speech and ability to make arrests.

              When you made your comment, I was making a similar comment with a link to the ACLU talking about it and how it was worrisome in 2012. My point is that kind of policy that preexisting bad policy is what they are leaning on to make things worse. We don’t get to pretend this just happened by accident all at once when MAGA showed up.

              I say this because I was one of those people in the Bush era who was warning about the dangers of mass surveillance and was furious that the Democrats didn’t do more to dismantle it and look now, that massive surveillance network is increasingly privatized and increasingly used to control and dominate the populace, just like people like me fucking warned was a significant risk back in the early 2000s. It fucking sucks to be right that institutionalizing some of the worst aspects of Bush’s post-9/11 policies are exactly the things that have helped Trump amass and keep power.

              /rant

  • midribbon_action@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    2·
    11 days ago

    I approve of this, I would love to see him fence, and it would indeed be historic. Unfortunately, can’t seem to find any armor big enough for you big champ but don’t let that stop you!