Park Police justified in ousting D.C. protesters, official tells lawmakers

US Rep. Bruce Westerman, left, discusses his trillion trees legislation on Feb. 12 at the U.S, Capitol in Washington. - Photo by Frank Lockwood of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
US Rep. Bruce Westerman, left, discusses his trillion trees legislation on Feb. 12 at the U.S, Capitol in Washington. - Photo by Frank Lockwood of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

WASHINGTON -- A United States Park Police official defended his agency's decision to expel thousands of protesters last month from Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C.,, telling a congressional panel Tuesday that his officers were justified in clearing the area.

"The use of force that we utilized on June 1 was in direct correlation to the level of violence that we were subjected to on June 1," acting Chief Gregory Monahan told members of the House Natural Resources Committee.

He denied that there was any connection between the decision to deploy pepper spray, stun grenades and batons, and a visit to the park, minutes later, by President Donald Trump.

"Several thousand" people had converged on the site by the time it was cleared, Monahan estimated.

Democrats portrayed the crowd as overwhelmingly peaceful and law-abiding, playing video to bolster their claims. Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., defended the actions of the Park Police, with some portraying the June 1 protesters as lawless thugs.

Park Police officials say they made no arrests during the day-long demonstration, which came one week after George Floyd died while being arrested in Minneapolis and followed days of violent unrest. One officer received injuries on June 1 while clearing protesters from the area, Monahan said. No officers were harmed during the hours leading up to the confrontation, he said.

Protesters had failed to leave the area, despite being warned three times to do so, the police chief said, maintaining that the announcements were heard over the din but ignored.

Monahan also emphasized the damage done by previous crowds on previous days and downplayed the significance of the Democratic videos, saying they only showed a moment in time.

The police chief offered no video evidence to bolster his claim that crowd violence had occurred earlier in the day. His officers don't wear body cameras, he said. No recording was made of the police radio transmission, he said.

In addition to Monahan, lawmakers heard testimony from Adam D. DeMarco, a major in the District of Columbia National Guard who was on duty at the site when the protesters were dispersed.

"From what I observed, the demonstrators were behaving peacefully, exercising their First Amendment rights," DeMarco testified.

The announcement for the crowd to disperse was "barely audible," he added.

The force that was deployed against the protesters was "excessive" and "deeply disturbing," he added.

As the lawmakers interpreted the day's events, committee members were split along party lines.

"This hearing is about politics and I apologize to you and the rest of the United States Park Police for having to endure a political attack," Westerman, a committee member from Hot Springs, told Monahan.

"We all agree that Americans are allowed to protest peacefully, like the Constitution says. So the question is, were these peaceful protests or were they violent protests," Westerman asked.

Forty-nine Park Police officers had been injured during violent protests May 29-31, Monahan said.

"On June the 1st, we only had one injury, an officer was punched in the face by a protester when we were clearing [the crowd from] H Street, and he suffered a facial laceration," Monahan said.

"I find it hard to see how anybody could call that a peaceful protest," Westerman replied.

During later questioning, U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., lumped the June 1 daylight protesters together with the nighttime rioters from previous days, including those who had damaged a nearby house of worship.

"As your officers worked to clear Lafayette Square, were they aware the mob had attempted to burn down St. John's [Episcopal] Church?" Gosar asked.

"Yes," Monahan said.

"So, is that an exercise of the First Amendment? Burning down a church," Gosar asked.

"No sir, it is not," Monahan answered.

Gosar continued in a similar vein, comparing the June 1 demonstrators to "violent anarchists" who had defaced the Lincoln Memorial.

Committee chairman U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., said the June 1 crackdown was a test run for "an illegal and ongoing crackdown by the Trump administration that is being inflicted on cities across this country and attempts to escalate those confrontations."

In an interview after the hearing, Westerman said he did not believe excessive force had been used, given the previous days' violence and destruction.

The Park Police had also followed their own protocols, he said.

"I think they were justified in what they did," he said. "It seems to me like the Park Police have a pretty strong case there."

Asked about the character of the people in the crowd that day, Westerman said, "I would say the majority was nonviolent, like you see in a lot of places."

"You have some people that, for lack of a better term, ruin it for everyone," he said.

Violent or nonviolent, they failed to heed the warnings to disperse, Westerman said.

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