A live camera mounted on a balcony in the Watergate complex could help answer a burning question for many Washingtonians: When will President Trump’s name come off of the Kennedy Center?
The camera is the work of the group Hands off the Arts, which has organized protests and vigils outside the center every week this spring. It’s mounted on the balcony of a resident of the Watergate, says the group’s Chris Raleigh.
Trump took over the Kennedy Center early in his second term and named himself chairman of its board. The center renamed itself for Trump last year, slapping his name above that of John F. Kennedy, to whom Congress dedicated the complex as a “living memorial” in 1964. Late last month, a federal judge in DC ordered the center to remove Trump’s name and forbade it to close for renovations for two years, as its management intended to do next month, until the board considers other options. Staffers have since removed Trump’s name from documents and the center’s website, but the question of when Trump’s name will come off the building’s walls—an imposition that rankles many Washingtonians—remains as unclear as what will happen next month.
“We wanted to make sure that the President complied with the court’s order,” Raleigh says, and “also wanted them to not totally get away with doing it in the middle of the night.” The DC area has been “kicked in the teeth, and this was President Trump trying to project his power over us,” he says. ” I think it’s equally powerful for the city and the people to see it come down.” A celebration will ensue when Trump’s name gets chiseled off, Raleigh says.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
