WASHINGTON — The National Park Service is calling a newly erected fence in front of a White House protest area temporary.
Park Service spokeswoman Katie Liming said Monday that her agency and the Secret Service expect to reopen part of Lafayette Park in front of the White House on Wednesday.
Liming says some areas of the park will remain closed to allow workers to deal with damage and address safety hazards. Liming gave no details and no time for when the rest of the square would reopen.
Lafayette Park in front of the White House is one of the country’s most prominent sites for political protests and other free-speech events.
It’s been closed off since early last week, when law officers used chemical agents and other force to drive out protesters in the nationwide rallies against police brutality.
Authorities left a newly erected high black fence blocking the square, even though recent protests have been overwhelmingly calm.
Liming says the Washington Ellipse, Sherman Park and some other landmark areas also will reopen Wednesday.
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