At over 200 years old, St. John’s Church is a national historic landmark with a membership of over 1, 000 people, and has earned the nickname “church of the presidents. ” Every president since James Madison has attended at least one service inside its halls, according to the church’s website.
inauguration, setting a precedent followed by many of his successors, including Trump. Pew 54, the “President’s Pew, ” is reserved for the president’s use.
Floyd’s death has sparked demonstrations nationwide over police brutality toward Black Americans. Sunday’s protests, which marked the third day of demonstrations in Washington, D. C., started out peacefully. As night fell and the protest outlasted the city’s 11 p. m. curfew, tensions between police and protesters heightened.
Police fired tear gas and stun grenades into a crowd of over 1, 000 people, The Associated Press reports. The crowd started fires at several nearby buildings, including St. John’s. The church fire was intentionally set, D. C. police said in a tweet. In addition to the fire, protesters reportedly tore down an American flag hanging outside the church, broke protective glass covering a stained-glass window and sprayed graffiti on the walls.
“The Devil is across [the] street, ” read one of the messages sprayed onto the exterior of the building, according to The Washington Post.
On Monday, church officials said damage from the blaze was primarily contained to the parish nursery, although there was smoke and water damage to other areas of the basement. The graffiti on the exterior of the building has already been covered up, they said. No one from the parish was inside the building at the time it was damaged.
Parish rector Rev. Rob Fisher said that the events of Sunday night haven’t deterred his church’s resolve to “be an instrument for God’s work” during the protests.



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