Activists plan human chain protest at Kennedy Center over Trump

By Sandra Rhodes (/journals/sandra-rhodes)

Activists are expected to gather in opposition to President Donald Trump's attempted takeover of the Kennedy Center on Friday.

The president has threatened to close and demolish it.

Activists are expected to gather, link hands and form a human chain outside the Washington venue. Their goal is to have Trump removed as its chairman for failing to protect and manage it.

Trump appointed himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center last year. Trump removed its previous leadership and replaced board members with his own appointees.

"The demonstration opposes the recent sudden closure of the facility, the installation of security fencing, and political efforts to alter or demolish portions of the presidential memorial," the group said on its website.

The Hands Off the Arts organization behind the rally and protest said they expect hundreds of people to gather on the center's steps. The group has held various protests outside the performing arts venue this year.

Earlier this week, Trump called for the Kennedy Center to be “ripped down” if if his administration doesn't receive recognition on the performing arts center, including having his name on the facade.

"I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down," Trump said.

The group protesting said its goal is to reclaim the Kennedy Center from "authoritarian overreach and protect other arts and cultural institutions from similar fates," according to the group's website.

"This is not the Kennedy Center you know and love. It’s not the Kennedy Center you deserve," the group said on its website. "We know what the Kennedy Center is meant to be, and can be again -- the nation’s cultural center, active with life, joy, and incredible art."

A federal judge Thursday ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper issued the order after lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), an ex officio member of the board, cited Trump’s warning that the center could be "ripped down" and submitted photographs appearing to show the Trump examining a placard labeled "Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED" Wednesday night. The photos were taken Wednesday night through a cabin window on Air Force One.

The judge earlier this week ruled that Trump's name could not be added to the center's exterior without congressional approval. The board previously placed his name on the facade, and removed it in June after an earlier ruling.

The venue "cannot install memorials for President Trump or anyone or anything else at the Kennedy Center without Congress’s blessing," Cooper ruled.

Trump has said the center is in poor condition and needs substantial government support to remain open.

"It's in very, very bad shape, very dangerous shape," Trump said. "You see steel falling down. You see plaster falling off ceilings. You see a lot of dangers."