Anti-scale fences will enclose Dupont Circle Park during WorldPride 2025 celebrations this weekend, despite pushback from the LGBTQ community and an official request from the D.C. Metro Police Department to keep the landmark open.
Citing public safety concerns, the National Park Service closed the local landmark at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 5, and the park will remain closed until Sunday at 6 p.m. The closure comes at the request of the United States Park Police, according to an official document from the National Park Service shared with National Review.
The decision to close the park — a famous hub for the city’s gay community — follows an extensive back-and-forth between the police department, the National Park Service, and local community leaders.
Chief Pamela Smith of the D.C. Metropolitan Police department originally requested the closure of the park, citing the previous illegal activity and public safety concerns. After pushback from the LGBTQ community and city council members, the police chief rescinded her request on June 3.
“Chief Pamela A. Smith has heard from community members and understands how significant Dupont Circle Park is to the Pride celebration,” an police spokesperson told National Review at the time. “MPD stands ready to support the National Park Service and the U.S. Park Police during this weekend’s events.”
The final decision to close the park fell to the U.S. Park Police.
“In USPP’s professional opinion this closure is necessary for the maintenance of public health and safety and protection of natural and cultural resources in Dupont Circle Park,” Superintendent Kevin Griess of the National Park Service wrote in the record of determination for the closure.
Less restrictive measures would not be sufficient and would strain police resources, according to Griess.
“The USPP has concluded that this temporary closure is necessary to ‘secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences,’” Griess continued.
The letter notes a history of damage to the park and illegal activity during Pride celebrations in past years, including an individual arrested in the park in 2019, an act of vandalism in 2023 that resulted in about $175,000 in damage to the historic fountain, and an incident of illegal activity including underaged drinking and marijuana use following Pride celebrations in 2024.
“Chief Smith’s letter to rescind this request does not provide any remedy or solutions to the significant amount of criminal activity and resource destruction that has historically been committed in Dupont Circle Park during DC Pride weekend, or the large strain on law enforcement resources that would be remedied by a park closure with anti-scale fence,” U.S. Park Police Commander Major Frank Hilsher wrote in a letter to the National Park Service.