After the murder of George Floyd, protests erupted across the country including outside the White House. After protesters were removed from Lafayette Square with tear gas and rubber bullets, a fence was erected on H Street, barricading that public land. This fence became a makeshift memorial where people left signs, balloons, flags, flowers and other mementos to honor the victims of racism and police brutality. 

 

In a city filled with marble monuments dedicated to men who enslaved other humans, this fence became a democratic memorial, a public space for collective mourning and action.

 

When White House officials planned to remove the fence, preservation experts at the National Park Service and the Smithsonian wanted a photographic record. They hoped to one day recreate the fence in a museum or other public history setting. The National Park Service also wanted photographs of the fence for communications purposes, which are featured below.