[guest post by Dana]
Eh, talk about optics being bad and a P.R. nightmare involving the White House. This time it was not the elderly being impacted, but rather very sick children and their families:
The U.S. Secret Service ordered hundreds of parents and their cancer-stricken children out of Lafayette Square on Saturday night, barricading the park for at least two hours and disrupting the group’s plans for a candlelight vigil to raise awareness and research funding for childhood cancer, participants said.
Some of the parents and children expressed hurt and disappointment that the Secret Service and Park Police, citing security precautions, virtually shut down part of a two-day event called CureFest for Childhood Cancer.
“We ended up waiting at the gates for two hours, and they never let us in,” said Natasha Gould, an 11-year-old Canadian girl who started a blog after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor this year. “And to be clear, the entire crowd was half kids. I cried last night in my hotel room because it was my first CureFest, and I couldn’t believe people were acting like they don’t care about children.”
…
But as the closure dragged on, some of the sick children, fatigued by the wait or the need to receive medication, had to return to their hotel rooms, organizers said. Others began crying, and some parents became enraged. Attendees said the group of at least 700 people were not allowed access to personal items they left behind, such as chairs and blankets.
The Truth 365 grass-roots child-cancer advocacy group had secured the necessary permits to hold “A Night of Golden Lights” candlelight vigil from 7 – 9 pm in the park.
Due to the park’s close proximity to the White House, it is regularly cleared out when security needs arise. And according to police officers and agents, President Obama exited the White House from an “entrance near the square” to attend the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Gala.
From a statement released by the Secret Service:
“The Secret Service would like to express its regret for not communicating more effectively with this group concerning the timeline for protectee movements in the vicinity of Lafayette Park.”
But seriously, two hours??
–Dana