Americans react to surveillance of pool showing Lincoln Memorial
“I think surveillance is always a good thing.” Americans react to surveillance cameras installed around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
President Donald Trump said the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall is “fully occupied” after algae bloomed in the pool earlier this month and some of the blue paint applied during a renovation commissioned by the president began to peel.
President Trump’s June 28 social media post came after touring Washington, D.C.’s landmarks, in which he declared many monuments “completely renovated and restored” and announced plans to renovate the area’s golf course facilities.
Without evidence, he accused “criminal, radical left-wing vandals” of “extreme damage” to the reflecting pool, saying last week that the pool was “100% free of leaks and other problems, none of the problems it has had since it was built in 1922.” The paint appears to have started peeling on June 18, 10 days before Trump posted on Truth Social.
The pool has had an algae bloom since at least June 16, as photos compiled by USA TODAY show. The Washington, D.C., landmark has long suffered from algae blooms, but the blooms appear to have decreased after renovations.
In his June 26 speech, the president said that renovation work would resume after the Independence Day holiday.
Lincoln reflects on his arrest at the pool.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a June 27 interview on Fox News that seven people had been arrested and 18 people had been reported to police in connection with the pool. Burkum did not name those arrested or reveal the charges against them, but said “full” charges would be brought.
USA TODAY contacted the Department of the Interior to confirm the number of arrests and court appearances.
Former Olympic canoeist David Hahn was arrested by U.S. Park Police on June 19 and charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property, the Washington Post first reported, appearing to be the only publicly identified person arrested in connection with the pool.
“I didn’t destroy anything,” Hearn told the newspaper. “I didn’t break anything, break anything, tear anything away. By the time I realized what was happening, I was handcuffed.”
A photo released by Reuters shows a U.S. Park Police officer issuing a citation to a 17-year-old who allegedly took paint from the pool.
Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the National Park Service, said in an affidavit that some of the paintwork was damaged and some of the caulking over the foam sealant was “cut with a sharp knife or razor.”
The National Park Service reported the damage to the U.S. Park Police, and officers responded on June 9, Lands said. The statement did not say when the damage occurred, whether it was vandalism or identify potential suspects.
The declaration was made in connection with a lawsuit alleging that the Trump administration illegally renovated the pool. The Park Service did not respond to an earlier request for comment from USA TODAY on Lands’ declaration.
President Trump plans to begin renovation work on Washington, D.C. golf course in September
President Trump also announced in a post that renovations to the East Potomac Golf Links will begin on September 1st.
“We are determined to build one of the world’s largest golf courses in this stunning location with unparalleled views of the water and the monuments of Washington, D.C.,” President Trump said.
The renovations came after a nonprofit organization and two Washington residents sued the Trump administration to block the project. The government and the nonprofit National Links Trust reached an agreement in May that allows the organization to continue operating East Potomac Golf Links until federal regulators overhaul it.
President Trump said the course was “virtually unplayable.” Reviews of the facility’s three courses on GolfNow are mostly positive, although some note that the fairway and green conditions are in line with a frequently used municipal course.
The President said Tom Fazio will be the architect for the new course, which will be built through the Department of the Interior.
Contributor: Michael Loria, USA TODAY. Reuters
