Photo by Chris Tank.

Anyone who’s ever visited Lafayette Park to get a good glimpse of the White House knows her, or at least has seen her peace vigil. Concepcion Picciotto, a 77-year-old local woman with roots in the activism community for decades, has had her little peace vigil, which includes a tent and a barrage of different protest signs, set up in Lafayette Park for more than 30 years.

But early this morning, Park Police seized her vigil, which includes a tent and some her belongings, while it was unattended. As first reported by The Post, Park Police confirmed they took down the vigil because “a 24-hour vigil requires no permit but must be continuously occupied.”

The Peace House, home to Picciotto and her supporters, sounded the alarm on Facebook last night, saying the vigil was unattended “due to an individual’s negligence.”

But don’t fret: Everything is fine now. Picciotto’s vigil is back up and running, thanks in part to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) who placed a call to the Park Police.

“I appreciate that the Park Police have worked with us to defuse a growing controversy about the removal of Concepcion Picciotto’s belongings,” Norton said in a press release.

According to Park Police, a fellow activist who was supposed to be manning Picciotto’s vigil overnight left his post, and a Park Police officer took that as a sign that it had been abandoned and started taking it down. But now, Picciotto’s vigil is back up and running.

“She is well known for her willingness to engage in principled activism at considerable personal costs,” Norton said. “She and her friends and allies have abided by the rules, and this single mishap by a fellow activist should not torpedo her longstanding vigil. In this city, we work together to find solutions.”

Filed Under: conception picciotto, eleanor holmes norton, lafayette park, park police, peace vigil,