PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A federal judge warned Justice Department lawyers on Friday that they were making “dangerous” and “scary” statements when they said the Trump Administration could decide what part of American history to display at National Park Service sites.
The heated exchange erupted during a hearing in Philadelphia on the sudden removal of an exhibit on the history of slavery at the site of the former President’s House on Independence Mall.
The city, which worked together with the park service on the exhibition twenty years ago, was stunned when this month it found workers using crowbars to remove outdoor plaques, panels and other materials that told the stories of the nine people who had been enslaved there. Some of the history had been uncovered only in the last quarter of a century.
“You can’t erase history once you’ve learned it. It doesn’t work that way,” said Senior US District Judge Cynthia Rufe, appointed by President George W. Bush.
The removal followed President Donald Trump’s executive order to “restore truth and sanity to American history” in the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. In Philadelphia, the materials were put into a pickup truck and then into storage, prompting Rufe to express concern about whether there was damage.
“Although many people feel strongly about this (exhibition) one way, other people may disagree or feel strongly another way,” said Assistant US Attorney Gregory in den Berken.
“Ultimately,” he said, “the government will have to choose the message it wants to convey.”
Rufe quickly cut him off.
“That’s a dangerous statement you’re making. It’s horrible to hear,” she said. “Changed at the whim of someone in charge? I’m sorry, that’s not what we elected anyone.”
Rufe heard hours of testimony Friday from former city officials who had helped plan the exhibit, and said the city had given $1.5 million toward the project. She plans to visit both the storage area and the site before ruling on the city’s request to restore the exhibit. But she asked Justice Department lawyers to make sure nothing else gets in the way.
In den Berken said that the Park Service regularly changes its exhibitions and tours, and claimed that the government cannot be forced to tell a certain story. But city attorneys and other advocates say the park service does not have “carte blanche” to interpret the nation’s history as it sees fit.
The exhibit includes biographical details about the nine people enslaved by George and Martha Washington in the presidential mansion. Now, only their names — Austin, Paris, Hercules, Christopher Sheels, Richmond, Giles, Oney Judge, Moll and Joe — remain etched in a cement wall.
Michael Coard, a lawyer who represents one of the advocacy groups that support the exhibition, said that the president was ignoring the power of Congress, the judiciary and the American people.
“It’s one thing to whisper that kind of dictatorial power. But to send lawyers into a public courtroom to make that argument is absolutely terrifying,” he said. “I’m really worried about the state of America.”
Rufe said she planned to move quickly, while noting the increase in visitors expected to visit the birthplace of the nation this year to mark the 250th anniversary of its establishment.
Residents who visited the site shed tears, left flowers and left a hand-made sign that said “Slavery was real.”