Demolition

"The Kennedy Center is vital to the arts in Washington. We need it. We need this," Wilkinson said. "This is not just about putting the president's name on the Kennedy Center. It's about censoring the performances and the programming. That's what started all this. So that's what the nitty-gritty really is about this. So I want to replace all of this with love. That's why there's a heart."— Bud Wilkinson, a local member of the arts community, at a protest outside the Kennedy Center

Without those efforts, the Center will deteriorate further into an unsafe, decrepit structure that will be required to be taken down, with a determination to follow on what to build on the site.

— Justice Department attorney Brantley T. Mayer, in a court filing regarding the Kennedy Center renovations.

We had a great time, but taking a vacation where people lose their livelihoods was not an option. Because of out-of-control wildfires, British Columbia has declared a state of emergency.

— Hendrikje Balsmeyer on Instagram (post about their family vacation in Canada)