Kennedy Center supporters plan protest as legal fight over building continues
Supporters of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are planning a protest and human chain around the Washington institution Friday amid an escalating legal fight over its future.
(NBC)- Supporters of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts are planning a protest and human chain around the Washington institution Friday amid an escalating legal fight over its future.
The demonstration comes after a photograph showed President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One examining a printout that appeared to reference the Kennedy Center being demolished. The image heightened concerns among opponents of the administration’s renovation plans.
“We want the President and the world to know that if you want to go through the Kennedy Center, if you want to turn it into a crater like the East Wing, you’re going to have to go through us,” said Chris Raleigh of Hands Off the Arts.
A federal judge Thursday ordered the administration to provide at least 30 days’ written notice before making major physical changes to the building, including any demolition. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also ordered officials to provide a detailed update on the center’s temporary closure and emergency repairs.
Trump has pushed to have his name recognized at the Kennedy Center while arguing that extensive repairs are necessary to keep the building operating. A federal judge has ruled that federal law establishes the facility as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy and prevents the board from adding Trump’s name as proposed.
The Kennedy Center’s Trump-aligned board voted this week to close the main building for an extended renovation. Center officials have separately said the immediate closure is temporary and tied to safety concerns caused by structural deterioration.
Those concerns intensified after part of a ceiling in the center’s grand foyer collapsed following heavy rain earlier this month. No injuries were reported.
Some Republican lawmakers have urged the administration to move past the dispute. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said attention should instead be focused on the upcoming midterm elections.
“We’ve got an election 48 days from now,” Tillis said. “I think we should be focusing on that and worrying about what it’s named. It’s kind of silly.”
Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty and preservation groups have continued their legal challenges over the center’s closure, proposed renovations and attempts to alter its name.
