On Wednesday, peaceful protestors gathered near the White House, turned on the flashlight app on their respective cellphones, held them in the air, and broke out into song, singing “Lean On Me.” It was a moment spectators and participants described as “surreal” and “beautiful.”
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Surreal, beautiful, peaceful scene outside the White House as a man sings “Lean On Me” and thousands and thousands of protesters raise lighted cellphones and join their voices with his. pic.twitter.com/iAr0WWYc3u
— Hannah Natanson (@hannah_natanson) June 4, 2020
What looting? What vandalism?
An endless sea of people singing Lean On Me lighting up the sky with their phones outside The White House. pic.twitter.com/pJ9NF9mtSI
— Arjun Sethi (@arjunsethi81) June 4, 2020
According to Hannah Natanson, a reporter for the Washington Post, thousands of protestors joined a man as he sang the Bill Withers classic to the crowd. And according to Rebecca Tan, another reporter for the Washington Post, the sing-along moment followed protestors taking a knee in front of law enforcement.
Growing in force here at Lafayette. At least 1,000 protestors taking a knee in front of law enforcement: pic.twitter.com/U1UsZHXOUa
— Rebecca Tan (@rebtanhs) June 3, 2020
!!! Crowd of thousands outside the White House singing Lean On Me. This must be the closest we’ve come to a concert in months: pic.twitter.com/CzpQxwLQGs
— Rebecca Tan (@rebtanhs) June 4, 2020
This isn’t the first group to use the song at their anti-racism protests. In West Virginia on Tuesday, protestors took to downtown Morgantown and sang the song.
Protestors in downtown Morgantown, West Virginia singing “Lean On Me” by the recently departured (and West Virginia native) Bill Withers.
The protest started this morning and is still going on peacefully hours later. pic.twitter.com/5Q922Y0MaV
— Dave Mistich (@davemistich) June 2, 2020
Protestors in Jacksonville, Florida were also seen sitting on the steps of the Duval County Courthouse singing “Lean on Me.”
"We all need somebody to lean on," this group is singing in front of the courthouse steps, clapping in time to the music. pic.twitter.com/8r2Ao2KKCP
— Dan Scanlan (@scanlan_dan) May 31, 2020
Following the peaceful protest in D.C. yesterday, President Trump installed a 7- to 9-foot high anti-riot fence around the White House, just before dawn today. According to CNN, the fencing extended down 17th Street from Pennsylvania Avenue to Constitution Avenue.
More fencing going up around the White House complex early this morning pic.twitter.com/VLBRnx1lgz
— Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) June 4, 2020
“The US Secret Service does not comment on our protective means and methods for operational security reasons,” a spokesperson told CNN.
A few hours later, new fencing now extends down 17th street from the EEOB to Constitution Avenue pic.twitter.com/mABwIDLPBn
— Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) June 4, 2020
Days prior to the peaceful protest, however, Trump cleared protestors who were positioned outside of the White House with tear gas.
“I am outraged,” Budde told the Washington Post. “I am the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and was not given even a courtesy call, that they would be clearing [the area] with tear gas so they could use one of our churches as a prop.”
The nationwide protests are in response to the murder of George Floyd. Today, the first of three memorial services was held today in Minneapolis. A second memorial will be held Saturday in Raeford, NC where Floyd was born, and a funeral will be held on Tuesday in Houston where Floyd lived before moving to the Twin Cities about five years ago.
“Out of all the years that I’ve been marching and protesting and doing eulogies and speeches, I’m more hopeful going to this service than I have been in a long time,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said during a news conference yesterday. “Because I see more Americans of different races and different ages standing up together, marching together, raising their voices together.”
