WASHINGTON – Few have watched how the U.S. Park Police deals with protesters for as long and as closely as Ellen Thomas, an anti-nuclear activist who anchored a continuous sit-in vigil day and night on the pavement in front of the White House over two decades.So Thomas, 73, speaks from great familiarity in describing her surprise at the force used by the U.S.
Park Police and other law enforcement officers in front of the White House last week at one of the nation’s foremost protest spots, Lafayette Square.
Two former Park Police overseers dating back to the Reagan administration also said the response was unprecedented in their experience.In Monday's violent rout of protesters, authorities sent people stumbling and fleeing with chemical.