Washington DC—It hardly seems like a year has passed since the Secret Service raided the William Thomas Memorial Peace Vigil Tent and took down its signage. The Peace Vigil Tent sat across from the North Portico of the White forty-four years straight, the longest running peace vigil in the North American continent.
Members of the Peace Vigil held a one year remembrance of the legendary Peace Vigil and spoke about the great sacrifices its former activists made to keep it going. They also heralded its many achievements including honoring the principles of the First Amendment.
“The Vigil stands for everybody’s right to the First Amendment,” said Philipos Melaku-Bello, longtime peace activist. “With that being taken down, watch out for the things you actually care about.” He recalled the incidents of the days leading up to its removal. He spoke about Will Roosien, one of its youngest activists who jumped onto the tent to protect the tent as National Park Service Police detained him and took away the tent.
Rowena, another peace activist, said, “ The Peace Vigil was our place to have our First Amendment Rights to protest and its been there for 44 years. The ‘Peace President,’ the man who said he wanted the Nobel Peace Prize is the one who dismantled it after 44 years, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
What Led To The Peace Vigil Takedown
On September 17 2025, right-wing media personality Brian Glenn broached the subject of the Peace Vigil Tent to Trump. In his question, which was more like a loaded screed, he implied the Peace Vigil stored weapons and posed a “national security risk” in Lafayette Park. He further alleged the Vigilers were radical leftists standing against American values, using drugs, and creating a rat-infested space. Melaku-Bello said that none of this is true.
Upon hearing Glenn’s screed, Trump response to his staff was to “Take it down. Take it down today, right now.” Later on Friday after Melaku-Bello learned of the press conference, he extended his shift at the Peace Vigil through Friday night past his scheduled quitting time. He remained there all through Saturday, Saturday night, and he did not leave until early Sunday morning. Melaku-Bello anticipated police would arrive at any minute and he wanted to be there if they did. By Sunday morning it seemed that the threat had passed as no police forces had come.Will Roosien, who had remained with Melaku-Bello throughout the 40-hours’ marathon shift, remained behind as Melaku-Bello left for a break.
Minutes after Melaku-Bello left—after sitting for nearly 2 days straight—U.S. Park Police swept into Lafayette Square and confiscated the blue tarp tent, its frame, and cinder block anchors. Roosien called Melaku-Bello, who immediately returned to join the relief activist, and he continued seated at the Peace Vigil for the third day. He remained at the Vigil as of September 19, 2025, Sunday night at 6 pm.
Led by Phillipo Melaku-Bello, a dozen or so vigilers continued holding onto their court protected spot on the red bricks. Exhausted by a long waiting game, Mulaku-Bello left after holding watch for nearly 40 hours. Just 15 minutes later, when all but one Vigiler was left, Secret Service rushed in and confiscated the tent, its frame and anchors, and all the signs. No weapon was found. There were no drugs. No alcohol. No charges were filed because there was no violation of any statute.
There was no justification for the takedown except that a right wing media report asked Trump about it and Trump ordered that it be removed. No other president had been so threatened by the tent and none other had ordered it removed. In fact the opposite is the case. Several presidents had food brought out to the Vigilers on Thanksgivings past. One president had food brought out with $100 dollar bills taped to the bottom of the plates. During President Obama’s tenure one of his daughters visited the Vigil and spoke to the activists at the tent. She wanted to know about them and encouraged them to continue.
A Brief History Of The Peace Vigilers
The history of those who envisioned a continuous presence outside the White House is a colorful story that could be a novel. Hundreds of activists took part in its 4 1/2 decades timeline. Some are no longer living. Some can only be recalled in photos exhibited on the black wired fence the activists put up to memorialize them.
Historically the Peace Vigil clawed its way into existence by the tireless effort of William Thomas, the vigil’s founder, along with many uncounted peace activists who accompanied him. They set up a continuous protest on June 4, 1981, outside the White House to demonstrate against the nuclear arms race. Their persistence annoyed then President Ronald Reagan. As a result they faced constant police harassment and many arrests because they kept returning to the sidewalk after being released.
After hundreds of arrests, a DC Superior Court Judge ordered that the Peace Vigil could remain which finally enshrined its right to remain across from the White House as long as it met several conditions. The order required the signs not be displayed over 6 feet and that someone always be present at the tent, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, even on holidays.
The Peace Vigil was not expected by anyone to last very long. The Judge and President Reagan didn’t fret about the court order and the Secret Service kept its distance except to watch the stream of activists come and go.
Since the Peace Vigil tent was by order allowed on the sidewalk at Lafayette Square, responsibility to oversee its conformance with the court order fell under the authority of the U.S. Park Police. Lafayette Square is considered a National Park therefore code violations falls under its authority.
But William Thomas had plans for it to last indefinitely and that court order gave him everything he needed. He purchased a property on 12th Street at a property auction, he named it the Peace House. He and a committed group organized around the Peace House and it provided a stable location for activists to rest and refurbish between shifts. Havoa home to organize gave the activists an opportunity to organize more deeply in the community. The Peace House became a Mecca for many activists and campaigns.
The Proposition One Campaign (Prop1) was born of the efforts of the activists at the Peace Vigil. In concert with DC Representative Eleanore Holmes Norton (non-voting) an initiative to void the country of nuclear weapons was proposed 17 times. The latest was in 2025. The proposal never made it out of the House.
After William Thomas died, the Peace House survived until 2016 when it fell into disrepair under the management of some individuals who had stopped supporting the Peace Vigil. It was eventually sold after a long court battle.
Activists continued supporting the Peace Vigil despite the difficulties of transportation and logistics. Some activists were houseless and supported it anyway. By 2025 the Peace Vigil celebrated its 44th anniversary. It lasted through 7 presidents, quite an achievement when considering the Judge who issued the order and the president in office at the time had long since perished. The Peace Vigil message survived.
The spirit of the resistance against nuclear weapons was subsumed by other pressing issues as time passed: world hunger, human rights, Palestinian rights, Tibetan independence, the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, and many other issues took over the signage as the decades passed. But one issue remained constant and that was the right of citizens to speak out in opposition to their elected representatives and government. It was with that spirit the Peace Vigilers returned on Saturday, September 19, for the anniversary of the tent takedown. Even now they refuse to go away though they have to assemble nearly 200 feet from the space permanently granted to them 44 years ago.
The Peace Vigil survived through Presidents Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bull Clinton, George W. Bush, Barak Obama, Donald Trump (First Term), Joe Biden, and Donald Trump (Second Term). It survived because of grit and determination on the part of those who believed ir was something worthy of their time and volunteerism.
Many vigilers learned about people from around the world because it attracted tourists who wanted to know what it meant that a resistance tent was so close to the White House. Then stories would be shared about life in their home countries. Many left with an understanding of what the First Amendment meant in practice because its unique concept was often not something they had been able to experience back in their countries.
Will The Peace Vigil Return?
The future of the Peace Vigil remains uncertain at this time but the Vigilers have committed to keep it alive. Their voices have not been silenced and their spirit is still burning hot. It is hoped that the tide of oppressive government will soon turn in the U.S. At the present, rights are being stripped away daily.
On Sunday, a day after the Vigilers assembled to remember and reflect on their institution, the president banned legacy media outlets CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the West Wing pressroom. On Monday their credentials were confiscated. Of course they will challenge the ban in court.
There was no solid reason given for the ban, only that their reporting did not suit the president’s agenda. And yet it was another violation of the First Amendment, no different than tearing down the court-protected Peace Vigil tent.
None of these news organizations were around to cover the removal of the Peace Vigil Tent last September. They did not speak out for the Peace Vigil or its members. These media organizations were also among those institutions unwilling to challenge the president for his gradual departure from respecting rights when Trump first took office as he began stripping them away in January 2025. Many rights have been stripped from different parties and institutions in different ways.
The legacy press are now beginning to understand the consequences of not having courage to defend their rights for others’ rights sake like that of the Peace Vigil.
Will the Peace Vigil return to the Red Bricks outside the North Portico of the White House? That will depend upon how much the community is willing to fight to get their First Amendment rights restored. The Vigillers cannot do it on their own.
