PEACE PARK ANTINUCLEAR VIGIL
& Proposition One Committee
POB 27217
Washington, DC 20038
202-462-0757  (voice) - 202-265-5389 (fax)
prop1@uujobs.com  (e-mail)
                                        

                                        Tuesday, September 6, 1994

Dear President and Mrs. Clinton,

     Once again we write to alert you that the National Park Service threatens to ride roughshod over the First Amendment.  Their latest move is to demand that we remove our 13+-year vigil for nuclear disarmament from the south sidewalk of Lafayette Park for the next five days.  We need IMMEDIATE HELP!

     Park rangers handed vigilers a notice this afternoon informing us that "(a)ll but the northeast portion of Lafayette Park will be closed to the public and demonstrators use from Wednesday, September 7, at approximately 5 a.m. through Monday, September 12, at 3 p.m....  Persons demonstrating or otherwise using these park areas should remove themselves and any personal property from these areas.  These actions are necessary to provide security to the President."

     This closure of the park for five days is unprecedented and alarming, and completely unnecessary.  

     The U.S. District Court set out appropriate guidelines for head-of-state security in Lafayette Park when Gorbachev came for the big Summit in December 1987.  Since that time the status quo has been that the Park Service erects fences a few dozen yards away from Pennsylvania Avenue, which is closed off briefly during the periods that the visiting dignitary is in transit to or from the White House.  Otherwise we have been allowed to remain at our signs, and pedestrian traffic allowed to pass through the park, which is heavily used by office workers and tourists as well as demonstrators.  This procedure has been perfectly adequate to protect any visitors.

     We believe you must simply not be aware of this attack on harmless practitioners of the First Amendment.  Please, again we ask you,  instruct the Park Police to leave us alone.

                                   God bless you,

                                   Ellen Thomas