Hundreds Ring Kennedy Center in Anti-Trump Chain
Hundreds Ring Kennedy Center in Anti-Trump Chain
The News
Hundreds of protesters linked hands around the Kennedy Center on Friday night to oppose President Donald Trump's threats to demolish the arts venue and his push to put his name on it.
The demonstration, billed as "Hands Off the Arts," came days after the center's Trump-appointed board voted to close the building.
Organizers are demanding Trump be removed as the center's chairman, saying he has failed to protect and manage it.
Timeline
The president replaced the entire Kennedy Center board and installed himself as chairman.
Staff layoffs, security fencing and a partial ceiling collapse accelerated the fight over the building's future.
The Trump-appointed board voted to close the building. The center describes the closure as temporary and tied to a first round of renovation work.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked the center from displaying Trump's name and required 30 days' notice before any major physical changes to the building.
CNN reported that the Kennedy Center laid off about a dozen employees, according to Raw Story.
The human chain formed on and around the Kennedy Center steps, with musical performances, testimonials from current and former employees and other guest speakers.
Reactions
Hands Off the Arts, the activist group behind the event, opposes what it calls Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center and says the administration is politically interfering in the arts. Organizers framed the closure and renovation push as censorship of a public cultural institution.
Protesters at the chain called for Trump's removal as chairman, arguing he has failed in his duty to protect and manage the venue.
Trump has again tied his willingness to help save the building to getting credit for the effort, Raw Story reported.
What's Next
Court proceedings continue over what changes Trump's board can legally make without congressional approval.
Judge Cooper's order stands in the meantime: no Trump name on the building, and 30 days' notice before any major physical change.
The Kennedy Center says the current shutdown is temporary and linked to the first renovation round.
More
The Kennedy Center is a congressionally chartered presidential memorial, which means major changes require legislative approval — the core of the legal fight now playing out in federal court.
The dispute splits along a simple line: whether the renovation push is an urgent, safety-driven rescue of a deteriorating building, or an effort to recast a public cultural institution in the image of the administration.
Poll
Should Trump remain chairman of the Kennedy Center?
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