Police close Penn Ave in face of Nagasaki Vigil

On the 8th of August, antiwar and antinuclear activists walked from a nearby church to the White House for a candlelight vigil on the 71st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.Minutes before the procession left the church, Secret Service shut down Penn Ave in front of the White House. Seconds after the end of the two minutes of silence at the exact moment of the bombing anniversary and while one of the Hibakuash (nuclear survivors) was speaking, they reopened the street.

For the past year, overly "convenient" closures of Penn Ave when protesters are expected has been extremely common. This began with the closure aimed at preventing Christian theocrats from burning a Koran in front of the White House in December 2015 but has been increasingly common at other protests considered politically embarassing ever since. On August 8th, no motorcades arrived nor departed during this closure and there was no evidence of police searching any suspicious package etc. Shortly after the closure began two cyclists tried to sprint for the far end of Penn Ave but were cut off by police and didn't make it. Cops acted like they were going to search them or worse but let them go shortly after a camera was pointed at them.

Video from the Nagasaki vigil showing how police timed the street closure