The day after in Washington, D.C.

A proud moment in front of St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Nov. 8, 2020, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, where St. John's Episcopal Church stands at the center of it all. boarded up and the building closed but the church conducts on-site services in Virginia and the District and offers online programs and classes/Patricia Leslie

At the corner of H and 16th streets, NW at St. John's Episcopal Church,
Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

The side entrance of St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020, on H Street NW. The Smithsonian Institution has requested the painted windows, all made by black artists, when they come down and the church building re-opens/Patricia Leslie

The sign says: "IT'S TIME TO THROW OUT THE GARBAGE - DUMP TRUMP - SWEEP HIM OUT,"  Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Making street signs in the street at Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

Is it just me that many of Trump's while male supporters all look like Harley-Davidson riders? There was one at Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020, under no threat by anyone/Patricia Leslie

The rare Trump supporter who drew barely any notice at Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

There was dancin' in the street at Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

At St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, where the middle sign reads: AZ+ NV+ GA+ PA+ = DEMOCRACY. The sign on the far right reads: We (heart) Math! 74,811,378 - 70,554,537 = WE WON, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

This sign on the fence on H Street, NW says:  THANKS TRUMP - YOU MADE ME INTO AN ACTIVIST across the H Street NW entrance at St. John's Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

The Washington Monument in the distance from Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

The sign on the fence surrounding Lafayette Park on H Street, NW says:  i WANT YOU TO PROTECT AMERICAN DEMOCRACY FROM AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL TRUMP COUP D'ETAT! Lafayette Square, Black Lives Matter Plaza, Nov. 8, 2020/Patricia Leslie

The White House fortress erected by the National Park Service upon the direction of the Secret Service (and costing U.S. taxpayers, $?) at the intersection of 15th Street, NW, and Pennsylvania Avenue where President Bill Clinton played Sunday street hockey with regulars, now blocked to keep citizens out/Patricia Leslie

patricialesli@gmail.com

 

Just another day in the White House neighborhood

On Friday the Sikhs for Justice held a rally in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House /Patricia Leslie 

Over at the White House Friday it was another day in the neighborhood at Lafayette Park, the scene of a rally by the Sikhs for Justice who, from a distance, looked like, well, it was the color of their turbans and the time of year which drew attention.

The Sikhs for Justice in Lafayette Park Friday/Patricia Leslie

The Sikhs for Justice in Lafayette Park at the White House Friday/Patricia Leslie

Who are the Sikhs for Justice?  I didn't know either.  From their website:

Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) has launched an international campaign to have United Nations investigate the killing of Sikhs in 1984 and declare it Genocide.

The 1984 Yes It’s Genocide campaign will obtain more than 1,000,000 signatures requesting the UN to independently investigate the organized killing of Sikhs. It is clear that India is unable to objectively investigate itself.

After almost 3 decades and 10 Commissions, India is no closer to figuring out who organized the killing of Sikhs. One thing everyone agrees on is that the killing on Sikhs were indeed organized and well planned, as stated in Justice Nanavati’s Report.

Many academics, politicians and media personal have been given false narratives to the point where only a handful of people know the reality. The killing of Sikhs during 1984 was not spontaneous anger. The Indian Government's Commissions has proven the same.

The signs say "PM Singh's Party Killed"  and in red letters below that, "30,000+ Sikhs In Three Days".  Listed at the bottom is a website, www.1984yesitsgenocide.org/Patricia Leslie

And who are the Sikhs?  Wikipedia says Sikhs in India are the nation's fourth-largest religion which has existed more than 500 years beginning with the birth of the founder, Guru Nanak.  They are mostly located in Punjab.

The essence of Sikh teaching is summed up by Nanak in these words: "Realization of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living".Sikh teaching emphasizes the principle of equality of all humans and rejects discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, and gender.

Baptised male Sikhs must wear turbans (females have the option) and have the surname "Singh" which means "lion." Female surnames are often "Kaur" which means "princess." 

The U.S. has the third highest number of Sikhs in the world (500,000) after India (19 million +) and the United Kingdom (760,000).

patricialesli@gmail.co