Female 'BHAZ' Protester Knocked to the Ground by Police Near White House

A female protester was pushed to the ground by a police officer during a scuffle near the White House early on Thursday.

The incident took place in a section of 16th Street in Washington, D.C. that was recently renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza.

"A protester is in the middle of the group. Another one was pushed to the ground," WUSA9 reporter John Henry wrote alongside a 43-second video on Twitter early Thursday.

Henry said it took place at around 1.a.m., but added that he wasn't sure what prompted the incident.

The clip begins with a woman being surrounded by police near concrete barriers. Another protester, a Black man, is seen trying to intervene and is pushed away by officers who order him to "stay back."

Seconds later, the woman is pushed away from the group by one officer and another then pushes her in the chest, knocking her to the ground. Another man is seen helping her up and a protester can be heard yelling: "She's not drunk!"

The Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Park Police have been contacted for comment.

Earlier this week, protesters dubbed the area just north of Lafayette Square the "Black House Autonomous Zone" (BHAZ), inspired by the "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone" police-free region created in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Police used pepper spray to disperse crowds in Lafayette Square after thwarting attempts by protesters to topple a statue of former President Andrew Jackson.

Officers again cracked down on protesters on Tuesday, removing tents and barricades protesters had put up daubed with the words "Black House Autonomous Zone" and "BHAZ."

The Washington Post reported that police have now erected concrete barricades on either end of 16th Street, between H and I Streets NW.

The block is part of the two-block section renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier this month and has been at the heart of protests against police brutality and racism sparked by the killing of George Floyd.

Crews also put up fences fortified with concrete outside St. John's Episcopal Church on Black Lives Matter Plaza on Tuesday night, according to the Post.

Protesters on Monday spray-painted "BHAZ" on the pillars of the historic church, where President Donald Trump posed with a Bible three weeks ago after the area was forcefully cleared of peaceful protesters.