In a city full of monuments and symbolism, add these photos as defining moments in the Trump era. In Washington, D.C., on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, National Guard troops blocked protesters. On the same spot where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I have a dream” speech in 1963, protesters, still seeking justice for all 57 years later, were denied entry into the hallowed ground by forces dispatched from the Trump administration.
The photos from Tuesday night, along with the gassing and forceable removal of protesters from in front of the White House, will forever be reminders of what Donald Trump has tried to project. After seeing the photos, Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Il.) tweeted the words of Lincoln:
“Trump would do well to heed the words etched into that memorial as Americans risk being teargassed around it: “With malice toward none; with charity for all…let us strive…to bind up the nation’s wounds…to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace.”
Senator Chuck Schumer said: “Rows of camouflaged troops standing at attention on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, like an occupying force defending a critical position. When you see the image of troops dressed for combat, flanking the Lincoln Memorial, an altar to freedom, you cannot help but think of Tiananmen Square.”
Several Washington monuments were vandalized over the weekend with spray paint, including the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln memorial.
The Independent writes:
“There are now more than 2,000 national guardsmen deployed to DC, both from the city’s own reserves and from states including Utah, Tennessee and Indiana.
“With 1,500 extra troops deployed on Monday night alone, military vehicles have been seen in the streets, and Black Hawk helicopters have been sent to fly intimidatingly low over the crowd.
“Several incidents of police and military action over the last few days have drawn outrage from both protesters and bystanders.“
