Iconic D.C. Monuments Vandalized in Riots - Do Black Vets Count?
Amid the riots following protests over the death of George Floyd, vandals targeted iconic Washington, D.C., monuments celebrating heroes of the American Revolution, the American Civil War, and World War II. The National Park Service shared disturbing images of the vandalism on Sunday.
“In the wake of last night’s demonstrations, there are numerous instances of vandalism to sites around the National Mall. For generations the Mall has been our nation’s premier civic gathering space for non-violent demonstrations, and we ask individuals to carry on that tradition,” the National Parks tweeted.
Monuments defaced included the equestrian statue of Casimir Pulaski in Freedom Plaza. Pulaski (1748-1779) was a Polish cavalry commander who fought and died in the American Revolutionary War. He led a cavalry legion at Haddonfield and Egg Harbor, N.J., Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Georgia. He was mortally wounded at Savannah and died and was buried at sea at 31 years old.
Vandals wrote “F*ck” on the base of Pulaski’s statue.
They also targeted the Lincoln Memorial — famous as the location where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his historic “I have a dream” speech. “Y’all not tired yet?” a vandal wrote on one of the marble slabs in front of the monument.
Vandals also targeted the World War II Memorial on the National Mall. Graffiti reading, “Do Black Vets Count?” emerged along the side of the central fountain.
For the record, black veterans very much did count in the World War II memorial’s reckoning of American soldiers who fought and died in the war against Nazism and the Japanese Empire. The insinuation that they did not is disgusting. While the military was tragically segregated during that war, President Harry Truman desegregated it shortly afterward.
As of Monday morning, police have arrested more than 4,000 people. Governors across the country have activated their states’ National Guards to respond to the riots. As the United States was leaving lockdowns imposed to fight the coronavirus, cities across the country have enforced a new limited kind of lockdown to prevent the destruction. Cities across the country set curfews to stem the violence, including: Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Cleveland, Columbus, Portland, Miami, Milwaukee, Salt Lake City, and Rochester.
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