Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 26
U.S. Park Police Issue Citations at Lincoln Memorial Pool After $16 Million Makeover
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 26

U.S. Park Police Issue Citations at Lincoln Memorial Pool After $16 Million Makeover

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 26

Summary

  • Federal prosecutors said Friday that U.S. Park Police issued citations this month at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, but disclosed neither the number of people cited nor the alleged violations.
  • No public records are yet available because cited people were released and court dockets will not appear until their scheduled appearances, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
  • One cited person, 67-year-old former Olympian David Carter Hearn, was charged with misdemeanor destruction of federal property after touching a detached piece of blue coating floating in the water, his lawyer said.
  • The citations come after President Trump claimed without released evidence that six people were arrested and seven cited for slashing the pool’s sealant and dumping fertilizer into the water.
  • The episode has intensified scrutiny of the reflecting pool, which has shown algae and peeling paint after a $16 million renovation ordered ahead of July 4 events marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Insights

After a $16M makeover, is the iconic reflecting pool a crime scene or a failed experiment?
Why is an Olympian charged with vandalism when science suggests the pool's decay is natural?