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Washington DC—Public Citizens and Third Act-DMV were among groups rallying against the Triumphal Arch on Thursday as public outcry over the rushed project is spreading. Hundreds of citizens from across the region joined with several congressional leaders in condemning the controversial project.

The action lasted throughout Thursday as people came and went to Memorial Circle, site of the planned arch build. If completed the arch would rise 250 feet and take at least three years to build. The steel cranes would rise about 300 feet.

The resistors were joined by the DC Activist Street Band a volunteer group of musicians who bring music to support and uplift activists who have been working on complex issues for many months. DCASB played resistance songs and gave the those assembled a backdrop to plan further actions. Among the songs they played were ’All You Fascists Are Bound To Lose,’ and ‘Which Side Are You On.’

Third Act-DMV erected a giant replica arch and added a giant red ‘X’ to emphasize its design was not welcome, especially next to Arlington National Cemetery, the burial site of over 400,000 Veterans and their spouses. They also set up a tent with a place to cool off and provided information to the public on how individuals could get involved to help block construction of the arch. One of the organizers brought home baked cookies while others brought power bars and drinks.

The arch construction is presently pending the results of an archaeological survey and findings of its investigation but it is expected that it will be approved no matter what the findings are. The Section 106 assessment has been closed as of last week, thereby rendering moot any findings that would otherwise suggest the arch should not reside at Memorial Circle and should be built elsewhere.

While many sang songs with DCASB, others held signs next to Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway nearby, while motorists honked with approval. Over 70,000 vehicles transit daily through Memorial Circle and the 3-year construction plan would disrupt the flow of traffic through the circle and add millions of hours of commuter time for those that pass through the circle into and out of Washington DC, Rosslyn, Arlington, the Pentagon, National Airport, and Crystal City.

Susan Douglas, a spokesperson for Third Act-DMV said that the arch was “illegal” and “it’s a slap in the face to the Veterans.” She spoke of the personal affect it would have on families with loved ones resting there. “It’s a desecration to sacred space.”

As to technical issues with the arch—and there are plenty—”It would be a traffic nightmare for 3 years,” she added.

Assuming a commuter passing through this corridor could expect to have their travel time lengthened by 30 minutes—and this is a conservative estimate—based on the fact that many would have to drive many miles to reach destinations and avoid the rerouting in the area—it would cost the 70,000 commuters a combined additional 12,770,500 hours in traffic every year the project continued. That translates into 1,458 human years of time lost to driving per year of construction.

The project would also have knock on effects as the Memorial Bridge is one of only four heavily traveled bridges linking Washington DC to Northern Virginia. Traffic patterns would seize up on both sides of the Potomac River and this project would last 3-years minimum. It would be operated 20 hours a day. This does not take into consideration any inclement weather days.

The National Park Service Assessment did not provide any flow analysis or findings on the effects on vehicle traffic the Arch would have on commuters and the surrounding communities at Fort Meyers, Arlington, Rosslyn, Crystal City, or the Pentagon. The NPS assessment only outlined the traffic patterns that would be changed or blocked altogether.

Then there is the increased risk to air traffic a 25-storied structure would impose on one of the busiest air corridors at one of the busiest airports in the country. Since 1982, there have been three air crashes because of unforeseen conditions by both pilots and air traffic controllers.

Two days after the FAA assessment approved the arch finding of no impacts on commercial aircraft, the White House changed the purpose of the arch to include drone capabilities, sniper posts, and ammunition storage. This altered the nature of commercial aircraft risks in the area. Drones are pilotless and cannot be reached by air traffic controllers. This would inherently create more risks.

Douglas pointed out that drones are not allowed in DC because of national security issues as well as commuter air safety risks drones would impose on the busy National Airport. She assessed that the White House claim that the arch was to used as a military platform for national security purposes was a way to sidestep the possibility that the Supreme Court could disapprove the arch based on a suit brought by three Vietnam Era Veterans. In their suit the Veterans argued that the arch would impose on the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery while disrupting the line of sight between the Lincoln Memorial and the Arlington House.

The approval of and the authorization for funding of national memorials falls under the authority of Congress. The Congress has been entirely sidestepped by the executive branch drafting of the arch project. Whether or not this was by design on the part of the lower chamber, House Speaker Mike Johnson has adjourned the House so often this year that it has not been present to carry out its statutory responsibilities on the matter of the arch as to its status of a national memorial.

This has opened doors up allowing an out of control ‘unitary executive’ to do what it pleases inside a power vacuum of an adjourned and absent House of Representatives.

There are many groups organizing to fight this project and it is one of many issues presently overwhelming institutional guardrails which were established to protect the public. The arch represents another unsafe government interference in civil affairs and an example of unregulated government control. Others include ICE in neighborhoods, degraded food safety standards, excessive surveillance, unwarranted deployment of National Guard troops in Washington DC,

Taken in total, this fight represents a small but important skirmish between a government that is acting in the interests of a few wealthy individuals and donors while disregarding established statutes and protocols designed to protect public interests.

As in the ‘Hands Off The Arts’ now ongoing at the Kennedy Center, its artists, and those who support the arts, the fight against the arch represents a bridge too far for another segment of society—Veterans, their families, and their supporters. It is one part of a widening public resistance to leaders who ignore established legal boundaries while ensuring their own interests are protected.

The post Opposition Voices Grow In Day Long Rally Against Triumphal Arch Construction appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Washington DC— Its Friday afternoon and the ‘No Arch’ group has returned to Memorial Circle for their second week of afternoon protests. After a week, they’ve committed to showing up at Memorial Circle until at least the November election. They know that excavation equipment and pile drivers will soon come and they are preparing for that day.

For now they take their stand in the way they know—with signs, banners and voices. Last night a stiff cool wind blew in and though it was still a brisk day, about 20 joined the line. The wind keeps jostling the signs and everyone has to hold tight to them. A sudden gust pulls down a banner and snatches the signs from everyone’s hands nearly blowing one into traffic. Its owner dashes after it all the way to the curb.

Almost everyone on the line is elderly or nearly retired. A few are young. The line is wizened with age but hearty. But the line could use more young blood one of them comments.
Hundreds of cars pass every five minutes, many blowing their horns in support of the ‘No Arch’ protesters. The line shouts “No Arch!” as motorists honk. A few angrily yell their opposition to the protesters. The protesters laugh back at them and can’t figure out why anyone would still support the project and the man who wants built what many believe is a vanity project to himself. Perhaps he knows his time is running out and he just wants to leave a giant marker in his own memory on some of the most hallowed ground in the capital. That’s why the line laughs at those shouting angrily.

One younger woman on the line has travelled up to DC all the way from Charlottesville. She says she heard about the Arch on social media. She was upset about the Arch project being rushed and decided she had to come to oppose it. Her father served in the military and she feels the arch placement dishonors his service.

Last week a Veteran traveled from Honolulu to join the line. Some present have traveled in spirit all the way from Vietnam to oppose it. Not travel in the geographical sense, but their war experience in Southeast Asia compelled them to be there.

The Arch protest draws far fewer than the Kennedy Center ’Hands Off The Arts’ protest did one week ago. But the arch action is no less important. It draws a strong reaction from Veterans, especially those who fought in wars and survived, for they have comrades buried in Arlington National Cemetery. And for every war Veteran buried there are families with many more feelings about the proximity of the arch to their loved ones’ resting valor.

Bob Fasick, a Vietnam Era Veteran, tells everyone on the line he’s in his late 70s. He hands a newcomer an ’86 The Arch’ button, welcomes her to the line, and tells her they will be coming back every afternoon from 4 to 6. He asks her and everyone to return again on any afternoon but bring a friend. He says they have to be there. This is the way things are if they are going to beat it. They have to show up.

Present also is another Vietnam Veteran, Michael Marceau. He is holds a sign opposing the arch reading, “Vets Say: No Arch, No War, Fund VA.” The letters fill the sign completely. There’s no room for anything else. He wears a green hat with miniature replica medals he was awarded for his service in the Vietnam War. Among his medals is the Purple Heart for wounds he received when a mine went off near a tank he was mounted on. He speaks freely about his war experiences and he is matter of fact about what happened and what the war did to him. He was young then and many of his comrades did not come home.

Marceau stands by himself near Memorial Bridge where traffic is leaving Washington DC. The Lincoln Memorial stands far behind him like a silent sentry guarding the remaining ramparts of the republic. He says that he does not believe the arch is designed for Veterans as the president claims. He recalls the criticism this president constantly hurled at John McCain during his first term, challenging his patriotism. McCain was a Vietnam Veteran just like Marceau but they never met. McCain was a Navy pilot shot down over North Vietnam, seriously injured as he landed in a parachute. He was also entitled to the Purple Heart and he was a Prisoner of War in Hanoi for 5 years. McCain was in Hanoi while Marceau was in the jungle but they both had physical wounds as well as psychological struggles when they returned home.

Marceau spoke of the president, saying “He disparaged John McCain in his first term and called Veterans ‘suckers and losers’ because he did not have the courage himself to serve.” The injuries Marceau received in Vietnam disabled him permanently and qualify him to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Although 100% disabled, he still shows up for the arch protest. “I don’t want to spend my afterlife looking up at a cheap imitation of what is supposed to be of national significance for a man who didn’t serve.”

And though Marceau points out that defending valor is the main reason Veterans direct their outrage at the arch project, a close look at other imposing aspects of the arch reflect how wide an impact it will have on the city at this particular place.

Scope Of The The NPS Assessment

In August, the National Park Service published its arch assessment. The 108 page assessment went into great detail delineating line-of-sight impacts for every significant historical structure in visual sight of the arch and the impact of these line-of-sight views on other memorials. It briefly discusses changes to traffic patterns and how traffic patterns and biker’s paths will be altered. It references other supportive documents with links to some of them.

Traffic Patterns

What it does not do is assess how traffic will be delayed. It offers no calculation as to the average costs in time that commuters will pay over the 3 to 5 year construction timeline. This aspect of construction will have the most direct impact on the 10s of thousands of commuters along several roadways that will be impacted, including Mount Vernon Parkway, Washington Boulevard, Memorial Bridge, and traffic exiting out of Fort Meyers. Yet no significant analysis of traffic volumes or delays is provided in this assessment.

Military Platform (Not Assessed)

The arch project is one of a trend of claims from the White House along the same national security theme. Construction is necessary, it argues, to ensure “national security.” While this claim has yet to be substantiated, and there has been no study or examination of what that national security threat actually is, this is a new justification for the project and changes its purpose and scope significantly. Even if the claims to a national security threat are actually a troll and will not actually come to fruition, or if they are just a sneaky way of earning a judicial victory from the high court, should any challenges succeed in the lower courts, they must be taken seriously.

The original design therefore, has been changed from its original requirements and the National Park Assessment has already been completed as of August 2026. There is no mention in the NPS assessment of national security or of any of the military components suggested in the president’s September 20, 2026 announcement that the arch would serve as a “military complex,” supporting drones, sniper positions, or ordinance storage (bullets, bombs or grenade launchers).

Its is not at all clear what national security threats exist in the proximity of Memorial Circle, except that national security concerns at the arch were something the president first raised on September 20, 2026, just a week ago. This change in the purpose and scope of the arch has no documentation as of September 27.

There’s hundreds of thousands of tombstones on the South side in Arlington National Cemetery from where the arch will go up and on the North side, there’s the Potomac River, Memorial Bridge, and the Lincoln Memorial. One could suppose an underwater incursion could somehow come from the Chesapeake Bay upstream into the Potomac if the president’s announcement were to be taken seriously, but that’s a long stretch and requires imaginative thinking.

The arch project does have implications that can be measured and assessed. The most serious of these is aircraft safety and commuter vehicle impacts but are not meaningfully assessed.

The question of funding comes to mind. By law, national memorials are required to be funded by acts of congress. There has been no transcript or record of where funds are originating and to what entities they are being allocated and in what amounts. The contract to design and build were no bid contracts. This raises questions as to process as well.

The arch project bends and breaks the existing boundaries of regulations governing how national memorials are vetted, approved, planned, funded, and built. Congress is the authority for vetting, approving, funding and approving national memorials. This project is being rushed just like the ballroom is being rushed. Like the arch, the ballroom is being justified on national security grounds.

Air Traffic Safety

Many of the procedures involved in the arch project rushed final approvals and assessments. One step was determining the what impact the 25 storied finished arch would have on the flight paths of hundreds of commercial aircraft transiting the DC and Virginia airspace as it juts into their flight path air corridor. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) evaluation of the arch impact on airspace was rushed and finished in several months. It is not clear that the 8-page assessment was conducted with the thoroughness of all the risks involved in raising a super structure into an airspace where hundreds of aircraft transit daily just 2 miles from National Airport. There are no doubt risks involved with this project that will add a significant obstacle into the landing and takeoff air corridor at National Airport.

For example, how many aircraft will fly over the arch and what is the frequency of rerouted aircraft when conditions such as storms or crowded airspace affect operations. What about fog and what is its frequency? There are times when aircraft get too close to one another and have to be diverted at the last minute. Anyone who lives and works in Arlington knows this because of the sudden noise of a commercial jet flying close overhead and out of the regular flight path. How has weather impacted air travel at National Airport?

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida commercial flight 90 took off on a flight to Florida and crashed into the 14th Street Bridge. Ice formed on its wings after it was in a takeoff wueue but delayed from takeoff by a blizzard. The tragedy took 74 with it, including several in vehicles on the bridge. The accident occurred not more than a mile from Memorial Circle where the arch will be. Although that air accident resulted in changes to aircraft weather assessments and deicing procedures, and such a scenario is not likely to be repeated, it still stands as an example of the grey area of unforeseen circumstances and how they can come together to cause an aircraft accident.

Any unforeseen situation involving weather, air traffic, or equipment failure, could result in a commercial aircraft ending up where it is not expected to be. Incidentally the Air Florida accident was preceded several months by a small aircraft crash into a hangar at National Airport which was under construction. Three died in that accident.

Such unforeseen circumstances were the case of an air accident in January 2025 involving a military Blackhawk helicopter collision with an American commuter jet, killing all 67 on board both aircraft. Air accidents happen and the arch is right in the path of one of the busiest airports in the country just two miles from the end of the runway. In the January accident the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found that air safety issues at National Airport between numerous military operations and commercial aircraft had existed for some time. Communications between military aircraft and controllers, military helicopter lighting issues, and angles of approach contributed to this air tragedy.

The NTSB report made 52 recommendations improving air traffic safety at National Airport. Of these, 35 were made to the FAA and 13 to the Pentagon, but FAA response to 11 of these “were unacceptable” and the Pentagon has still not closed any of their recommendations almost 2 years later. On this accident alone one could conclude that air traffic at National Airport remains unsafe even without the additional drone aircraft and military platform being planned 2 miles away from it.

On September 18, 2026, just two days before the president announced the change of the arch with the requirement for a memorial and a military platform the FAA assessment approval was published. It concluded that the arch would not significantly impact air travel in the congested area.

Then on September 20, 2026 announcement from the president that the arch would serve as a “military platform” occurred 2 days after the FAA assessment had been completed, yet the nature of drone traffic and projectile limits such as height and range are not in the FAA report. Drones are pilotless and do not have the transponders that air tracking systems which the traffic controllers consult to locate where aircraft are, determine their height, and travel direction to determine what orders to relay. The existence of a drone port on the arch would lead to immeasurable uncertainty as to the safety of commercial aircraft in an emergency.

Another is the approval process of the National Historic Landmarks Commission. A public comment period was rushed and a public hearing was cancelled altogether. The public was nearly unanimous in opposition to the arch project.

But the real concern among Veterans like Fasick and Marceau is the impact it will have on the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. This ground is visible from the circle and the arch will tower over it. It will have permanent influence on the ‘hollowed’ resting place of over 420,000 Veterans and their spouses.

In Memorial Circle signs of the initial construction preparation are everywhere. Small pink flags marking the boundaries of the arch have already been implanted into the ground. Surveying posts have also been placed in several places. One post reads “PMI Traverse” and has a long orange plastic pennant attached to it. Another survey marker is located by some pine trees which rest outside Memorial Circle. There are markings where core soil samples were taken on Thursday. The holes were drilled with excavation equipment and then filled with gravel. These actions were described as archeological assessments.

DC District Court Judge Tanya Chutkin ordered a 48-hour notice be given before any construction begins. In her ruling she did not bar archeological assessment from proceeding, but barred construction or preparatory construction. Tge Department of Justice is appealing for Judge Chutkin to remove the bar.

It is clear that preliminary stages of the arch project described in the NPS Arch Assessment are already underway. On February 29, 2026, three Vietnam Veterans filed suit against the president, the NPS and several others to stop the ‘Independence Arch’ but preparations are going forward anyway. Their argument was, in part, that the arch would interrupt the line of sight from significant historical points of interest to other monuments in Washington DC. Another of their arguments was that the president does not have the authority to build a monument because that authority rests with the congress.

So far, the Vietnam Veterans have not been present at the afternoon arch protests. If the project is going to be stopped or delayed, it will take many forms of resistance from many groups. So far, the arch project hasn’t been slowed or stopped by any of the machinations of government. If it is built, it will forever be a shadow cast over the Veterans buried at Arlington National Cemetery and a 25-storied behemoth right in the line of hundreds of commercial aircraft flying over it every day.

The post Memorial Arch Resistance Digs In For Long Battle Over Controversial Vanity Project appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Washington DC—Wednesday afternoon several DC area Veterans and supporters escalated the fight over the Triumphal Arch with a visit to the Harrison Architectural Firm behind the design. They carried umbrellas with protest markings and messages opposing the arch project as well as several other memorial rebrands under White House supervision.

Harrison Design Architecture firm located in a tucked away office in Georgetown is the designer behind the non-competitive contract awarded for the Triumphal Arch. It is not yet clear why a prominent memorial project that would significantly alter the DC skyline was awarded the project without a competitive bid.

Activists stood outside the architectural firm’s offices in Georgetown and staged an umbrella protest drawing attention to the location of the firm.

The $250 million construction project is set to begin any day now and it has resulted in Veterans mobilizing to oppose it over its proximity to Arlington National Cemetery. The 250 foot high monument would overshadow every burial there and forever change the hollowed ground under which 430,000 Veterans and their spouses are buried.

Last Friday one Veteran flew from Hawaii just to participate in a protest of the arch at Memorial Circle, site of the planned construction.

Retired Army Veteran, Colonel Ann Wright, an officer with 27 years experience in the Army said, the arch would be built, “over our dead bodies. It’s for him, Mr. Bonespurs with five deferments from the military.” Col. Wright was emphatic that there would be opposition to the Arch, saying, “A cold day in hell this thing is going up.”

Col Wright was joined at the protest action by another Retired Air Force Colonel as well as Veterans from other periods of service, including a Vietnam Era Veteran.

Veterans and supporters have been staking out the nearby construction site and noting that surveyor flags, paint markers, and tree removals have taken place over the past few weeks.

Early on Wednesday, September 23, drilling equipment was brought in purportedly to begin sampling the sediment underneath Memorial Circle. This is a necessary set in determining the sufficiency and stability of the large structure. The height of the arch would top out at 25 stories. It would be 2 1/2 times the height of the Lincoln Memorial and more than double the height of the Alexandria House, a property once owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The arch would occlude the line of sight between the two existing structures.

Metal fencing was erected around the drilling equipment. Several protesters stood in pouring rain early Wednesday holding signs and banners towards morning commuters, encouraging them to voice their opposition to the arch.

The arch site is not more than 50 feet from the Ladybird Johnson Dogwood and tulip gardens, planted in 1968. President And Lady Bird Johnson planted the trees in 1968 as a part of Lady Bird Johnson Memorial Gardens to encourage environmentalism across the country.

There has been little reporting about the possibility that the few remaining dogwoods may follow the same fate that a number of cherry trees felled in preparation for Trump’s golf course on Haines Point. The dogwood tree is the Virginia State tree.

The arch construction plans have not discussed with any certainty that the remaining dogwood trees at Memorial Circle will be disturbed. Four dogwoods remain from the original garden at the North end of Memorial Circle near the entrance to Memorial Bridge. A 4’ x 5’ plaque nearby describes the purpose of the Lady Bird Memorial Gardens.

According to Virginia State Code, cutting down a dogwood is a violation of State Law and can result in fines of $500.00 to $10,000.00. Virginia State Code § 10.1-1127.1. Tree conservation ordinance; civil penalties, reads, in part: “Memorial tree” means any tree that has been individually designated by the local governing body to be a special commemorating memorial. Violations of such local ordinance shall be punishable by civil penalties not to exceed $2,500 for each violation.

Another set of trees—weeping willows—were cut down and removed from the Kennedy Center grounds in preparation for “renovations” at that site. Word of the Kennedy Center closure and possible renovations triggered a massive local response on Friday when an estimated 10,000 surrounded the Kennedy Center in opposition to possible plans to demolish and rebrand the iconic arts center with Trump’s name.

DCMG will continue updating this story as it develops.

The post Veterans Protest Design Firm Behind Trump’s Triumphal Arch Vanity Project appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Washington DC—It hardly seems like a year has passed since the Secret Service raided the William Thomas Memorial Peace Vigil Tent and took down its signage. The Peace Vigil Tent sat across from the North Portico of the White forty-four years straight, the longest running peace vigil in the North American continent.

Members of the Peace Vigil held a one year remembrance of the legendary Peace Vigil and spoke about the great sacrifices its former activists made to keep it going. They also heralded its many achievements including honoring the principles of the First Amendment.

“The Vigil stands for everybody’s right to the First Amendment,” said Philipos Melaku-Bello, longtime peace activist. “With that being taken down, watch out for the things you actually care about.” He recalled the incidents of the days leading up to its removal. He spoke about Will Roosien, one of its youngest activists who jumped onto the tent to protect the tent as National Park Service Police detained him and took away the tent.

Rowena, another peace activist, said, “ The Peace Vigil was our place to have our First Amendment Rights to protest and its been there for 44 years. The ‘Peace President,’ the man who said he wanted the Nobel Peace Prize is the one who dismantled it after 44 years, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

What Led To The Peace Vigil Takedown

On September 17 2025, right-wing media personality Brian Glenn broached the subject of the Peace Vigil Tent to Trump. In his question, which was more like a loaded screed, he implied the Peace Vigil stored weapons and posed a “national security risk” in Lafayette Park. He further alleged the Vigilers were radical leftists standing against American values, using drugs, and creating a rat-infested space. Melaku-Bello said that none of this is true.

Upon hearing Glenn’s screed, Trump response to his staff was to “Take it down. Take it down today, right now.” Later on Friday after Melaku-Bello learned of the press conference, he extended his shift at the Peace Vigil through Friday night past his scheduled quitting time. He remained there all through Saturday, Saturday night, and he did not leave until early Sunday morning. Melaku-Bello anticipated police would arrive at any minute and he wanted to be there if they did. By Sunday morning it seemed that the threat had passed as no police forces had come.Will Roosien, who had remained with Melaku-Bello throughout the 40-hours’ marathon shift, remained behind as Melaku-Bello left for a break.

Minutes after Melaku-Bello left—after sitting for nearly 2 days straight—U.S. Park Police swept into Lafayette Square and confiscated the blue tarp tent, its frame, and cinder block anchors. Roosien called Melaku-Bello, who immediately returned to join the relief activist, and he continued seated at the Peace Vigil for the third day. He remained at the Vigil as of September 19, 2025, Sunday night at 6 pm.

Led by Phillipo Melaku-Bello, a dozen or so vigilers continued holding onto their court protected spot on the red bricks. Exhausted by a long waiting game, Mulaku-Bello left after holding watch for nearly 40 hours. Just 15 minutes later, when all but one Vigiler was left, Secret Service rushed in and confiscated the tent, its frame and anchors, and all the signs. No weapon was found. There were no drugs. No alcohol. No charges were filed because there was no violation of any statute.

There was no justification for the takedown except that a right wing media report asked Trump about it and Trump ordered that it be removed. No other president had been so threatened by the tent and none other had ordered it removed. In fact the opposite is the case. Several presidents had food brought out to the Vigilers on Thanksgivings past. One president had food brought out with $100 dollar bills taped to the bottom of the plates. During President Obama’s tenure one of his daughters visited the Vigil and spoke to the activists at the tent. She wanted to know about them and encouraged them to continue.

A Brief History Of The Peace Vigilers

The history of those who envisioned a continuous presence outside the White House is a colorful story that could be a novel. Hundreds of activists took part in its 4 1/2 decades timeline. Some are no longer living. Some can only be recalled in photos exhibited on the black wired fence the activists put up to memorialize them.

Historically the Peace Vigil clawed its way into existence by the tireless effort of William Thomas, the vigil’s founder, along with many uncounted peace activists who accompanied him. They set up a continuous protest on June 4, 1981, outside the White House to demonstrate against the nuclear arms race. Their persistence annoyed then President Ronald Reagan. As a result they faced constant police harassment and many arrests because they kept returning to the sidewalk after being released.

After hundreds of arrests, a DC Superior Court Judge ordered that the Peace Vigil could remain which finally enshrined its right to remain across from the White House as long as it met several conditions. The order required the signs not be displayed over 6 feet and that someone always be present at the tent, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, even on holidays.

The Peace Vigil was not expected by anyone to last very long. The Judge and President Reagan didn’t fret about the court order and the Secret Service kept its distance except to watch the stream of activists come and go.

Since the Peace Vigil tent was by order allowed on the sidewalk at Lafayette Square, responsibility to oversee its conformance with the court order fell under the authority of the U.S. Park Police. Lafayette Square is considered a National Park therefore code violations falls under its authority.

But William Thomas had plans for it to last indefinitely and that court order gave him everything he needed. He purchased a property on 12th Street at a property auction, he named it the Peace House. He and a committed group organized around the Peace House and it provided a stable location for activists to rest and refurbish between shifts. Havoa home to organize gave the activists an opportunity to organize more deeply in the community. The Peace House became a Mecca for many activists and campaigns.

The Proposition One Campaign (Prop1) was born of the efforts of the activists at the Peace Vigil. In concert with DC Representative Eleanore Holmes Norton (non-voting) an initiative to void the country of nuclear weapons was proposed 17 times. The latest was in 2025. The proposal never made it out of the House.

After William Thomas died, the Peace House survived until 2016 when it fell into disrepair under the management of some individuals who had stopped supporting the Peace Vigil. It was eventually sold after a long court battle.

Activists continued supporting the Peace Vigil despite the difficulties of transportation and logistics. Some activists were houseless and supported it anyway. By 2025 the Peace Vigil celebrated its 44th anniversary. It lasted through 7 presidents, quite an achievement when considering the Judge who issued the order and the president in office at the time had long since perished. The Peace Vigil message survived.

The spirit of the resistance against nuclear weapons was subsumed by other pressing issues as time passed: world hunger, human rights, Palestinian rights, Tibetan independence, the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars, and many other issues took over the signage as the decades passed. But one issue remained constant and that was the right of citizens to speak out in opposition to their elected representatives and government. It was with that spirit the Peace Vigilers returned on Saturday, September 19, for the anniversary of the tent takedown. Even now they refuse to go away though they have to assemble nearly 200 feet from the space permanently granted to them 44 years ago.

The Peace Vigil survived through Presidents Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bull Clinton, George W. Bush, Barak Obama, Donald Trump (First Term), Joe Biden, and Donald Trump (Second Term). It survived because of grit and determination on the part of those who believed ir was something worthy of their time and volunteerism.

Many vigilers learned about people from around the world because it attracted tourists who wanted to know what it meant that a resistance tent was so close to the White House. Then stories would be shared about life in their home countries. Many left with an understanding of what the First Amendment meant in practice because its unique concept was often not something they had been able to experience back in their countries.

Will The Peace Vigil Return?

The future of the Peace Vigil remains uncertain at this time but the Vigilers have committed to keep it alive. Their voices have not been silenced and their spirit is still burning hot. It is hoped that the tide of oppressive government will soon turn in the U.S. At the present, rights are being stripped away daily.

On Sunday, a day after the Vigilers assembled to remember and reflect on their institution, the president banned legacy media outlets CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the West Wing pressroom. On Monday their credentials were confiscated. Of course they will challenge the ban in court.

There was no solid reason given for the ban, only that their reporting did not suit the president’s agenda. And yet it was another violation of the First Amendment, no different than tearing down the court-protected Peace Vigil tent.

None of these news organizations were around to cover the removal of the Peace Vigil Tent last September. They did not speak out for the Peace Vigil or its members. These media organizations were also among those institutions unwilling to challenge the president for his gradual departure from respecting rights when Trump first took office as he began stripping them away in January 2025. Many rights have been stripped from different parties and institutions in different ways.

The legacy press are now beginning to understand the consequences of not having courage to defend their rights for others’ rights sake like that of the Peace Vigil.

Will the Peace Vigil return to the Red Bricks outside the North Portico of the White House? That will depend upon how much the community is willing to fight to get their First Amendment rights restored. The Vigillers cannot do it on their own.

The post Evicted Peace Vigil Activists Stake Claim To Lost First Amendment Rights One Year On appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Washington DC—Veterans and supporters stood in the middle of Memorial Circle during afternoon rush hour on Friday with banners and signs urging commuters to join their opposition to a 250 foot Triumphal Arch construction plan. Several groups were involved in the action, including chapters of Veterans For Peace from Washington DC and another from Hawaii; Third Act-DC-MD-VA, and Code Pink Women Against War.

The Triumphal Arch is planned to be built inside Memorial circle, a heavily traveled commuter route, which is just outside the entrance of Arlington National Cemetery. Construction would last several years at minimum and disrupt a major commuter artery, including shut down Memorial Bridge, one of four major bridges linking Washington DC to Virginia. The planned site falls directly under the flight path of hundreds of commercial aircraft flying in and out of National Airport. The height and proximity of the arch to the commercial flight path will pose a risk during inclement weather days.

The Veterans and supporters have been mobilizing against the proposed 25 storied memorial since before Memorial Day when they erected at replica arch near the Lincoln Memorial as thousands of motor cycles rode through for Rolling Tribute (previously known as Rolling Thunder). Their message then as it is now: ‘No Arch.’

A message posted by a spokesperson for the group gave several reasons why they were protesting the proposed arch construction by the Trump White House. It read, in part:

“We are protesting to protect and defend the solemnity and honor of this hallowed ground. To place a memorial that would obstruct the unbroken viewshed from the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington Cemetery would totally destroy all that this space represents. It is unconscionable to suggest that this space could be, and would be [emphasis added], redefined by any one person, let alone someone totally consumed by his own vanity.”

One Veteran among the group was so agitated about the rushed plan that she said she flew all the way from Hawaii on a moment’s notice to join the Veterans’ opposition group.

Retired Colonel Ann Wright, an Army officer with 27-years of service, and a member of the Hawaii Chapter of Veterans for Peace, brought the chapter banner with her for the action. “Over our dead bodies,” she said about the Triumphal Arch plan at Memorial Circle. “It’s for him, Mr. Bonespurs with five deferments from the military.” Col. Wright was emphatic that there would be opposition to the Arch, saying, “A cold day in hell this thing is going up.”

Col Wright was joined by another Retired Air Force Colonel as well as Veterans from other periods of service, including a Vietnam Era Veteran.

The height of the arch would rise 250 feet and at that height it would break the line of sight view between the Arlington House, a property once owned by Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and the Lincoln Memorial. President Abraham Lincoln and General Lee are seen historically as the protagonist and antagonist of the Civil War and the symbolic meaning of reconciliation between two opposing forces splitting the Republic during the Civil War. This symbolism would be destroyed by the Triumphal Arch. An arch built inside the circle would interpose Trump’s image as somehow significant in the design of that area of the city.

Then there is the significance of the proximity of the Arch to Arlington National Cemetery, resting place of over 250,000 war Veterans and many Veterans’ spouses. Many of these Veterans served in the wars since the Civil War, and gave their lives in battle. The Veterans expressed deep concern that the arch would overpower the significance of the full final measure given by 100,000s in every war and conflict fought since the Civil War.

The group of Veterans plans afternoon watches of Memorial Circle from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday, September 21 through September 25. Several other Veterans plan early morning watches starting at 6:00 am. Memorial Circle is about a 5 minute walk from Arlington National Cemetery metro stop and the group has invited anyone to join them with interest in standing in opposition to the Triumphal Arch.

The group is also planning for the possibility that the construction may begin anytime and is planning to mobilize further if it begins.

A late breaking story on Sunday afternoon revealed Trump had added a plan to militarize the Triumphal Arch with sniper positions and drones. But it was unclear if this was a troll or if it was a bonafide preparation for some kind of expected attack. The last time any threat occurred in the area was on 9-11 when American Flight 77 impacted the Wast side of the Pentagon.

Trump has already been flustered by a court ordered removal of his name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The latest incident at the Kennedy Center involving a Board vote to close the iconic building and a initiative to demolish the arts center drew over 10,000 just hours after the Triumphal Arch demonstration.

Trump’s attempt to refurbish the reflecting Pool was also a disappointment and an embarrassment for the White House. The White House, vis-vis the National Park Service, struggled to explain why or how the refurbishing went wrong, blaming innocent observers for damaging the Reflecting Pool which is itself a memorial. The contractor eventually took responsibility for a bad patch paint job.

Economic and trade policy missteps have created rampant inflation and crushed his approval polling to the lowest levels of any president at this time in their term.

The besieged president, is gaining few allies if any among Veterans as his attempt to build the Triumphal Arch which is set to begin construction anytime now.

The combination of all these factors have a knock on effect potential to draw many to oppose the Triumphal Arch as well.

The post Veterans Condemn Memorial Arch As A Vanity Project To Trump And Plan To Fight Construction appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Hands Off The Arts organized a massive rally to resist the closure and demolish of the ionic Kennedy Center.

Washington, DC—The Organization ‘Hands Off the Arts,’ called on DC, Maryland and Virginia artists and supporters to stand in opposition to a plan by the White House to demolish the Iconic Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Memorial. Several prominent speakers told of the threat that destruction posed to the freedom of expression that for over 55 years has been a central national venue for the arts community. At one point as many as 10 thousand circled the iconic white marbled landmark. They joined hands and chanted “Hands Off The Arts!”

While the numbers of concerned citizens continued to grow far past the number which had signed up online to attend, the area outside the Kennedy Center became impassable and police were forced to withdraw from the area and allow the crowd to occupy the driveway. There was no real threat to the Arts Center as the crowd only came to make a point: they intended to stand against any plan to raze the memorial.

Then the organizers did what they do best—they put on a show. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC performed ‘Make Them Hear You,’ a song about resistance and liberation from the play Ragtime. The song was previously performed at the Kennedy Center in 2019 by Brian Stokes Mitchel.

Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman in the TV series 1975-1979, spoke to the audience for several minutes, telling them that the arts were a vital part of living. “I see you,” she said. “I hear your hearts and you hear mine. Music and the arts is how we survive. It is how we learn. It is about vibration in the universe. It is about who we are.”

Tara Hoot, the emcee and a drag queen who previously performed at the Kennedy Center, kept the rally lighthearted though many were worried the arts venue could be in its last days. “Our message with Hands Off The Arts today is to bring hope to the American people. The people have the power to say no. Enough is enough. Donald Trump tried to slap his name on this building. It is a living memorial to an assassinated President John F. Kennedy and that’s how it needs to stay.”

Friday night’s action sent a clear signal that any attempt to demolish the memorial would be met with strong resistance at both the street level of energetic activism with mainstream enthusiasm in support, as well as from influential artists and supporters of the venerable arts institution.

It is extremely rare in Washington DC for an issue to rupture the peace which naturally occurs in the nature of performance and visual art, for it stands alone in its attraction for a diverse range of individuals, uniting them in spirit, presence, and purpose in some unexplainable way. But the White House has somehow managed to do just that. Never has the Kennedy Center drawn to its white marble facade a solitary of resistance as was seen Friday night.

As plans of the White House intentions to begin major renovations on the memorial, were challenged in federal court, a ruling by Judge Christopher Cooper that any major renovation would require 30 days notice, triggered shock that it could come down. Throughout the arts community and beyond that shock spread and reached the activist community. Judge Cooper ruled the name change as the result of major renovations would “buck” his previous order to remove Trump’s name as well as go against existing Congressional legislation which names the arts center after John F. Kennedy.

Hands Off The Arts, has rallied at the Kennedy Center on Fridays since Donald Trump first took over the institution in February 2025. Hands Off The Arts, is an organization founded by Chris Raleigh after Donald Trump fired its Board and installed his own group of loyalists while appointing himself as the Board President. The purpose of the grassroots group, is to protect the center and reopen it to its previous state of grandeur.

After Trump took over the Board, funding began to dry up as performers canceled their shows and benefactors no longer wanted to be associated with the Trump appointed Board policies of restricting the types of venues which would be allowed. The Washington National Symphony, which had made the Kennedy Center its home for many decades, severed ties and move its operations elsewhere, a major blow to the ability of the Arts Center to draw support and donations.

With it, more and more artists, performers, and supporters canceled performances or turned away from the Arts Center altogether. Financial support began drying up beginning a downwards cycle. The Kennedy Center was virtually out of money for operations by this month. The Trump appointed Board closed the Center lasted week and announced he would begin “renovations.” One not look much further than the East Wing of the White House or the Reflecting Pool to see what renovations actually look like in terms of what the White House means when it begins a project.

The history of the KC is a splendid tale of how interest in preserving the arts as a living national memorial inspired U.S. allies to gift portions of the construction materials to build a unique memorial, both functionally and artistically.

Italy donated over 3500 tons of white marble sheets which gave the memorial its unique outer appearance. Sweden donated 18 crystal chandeliers which remain hanging from the ceiling of the Grand Foyer. Japan donated the curtains adorning the stage of the Opera House, the second largest room in the Kennedy Center. Weaving the giant red and gold silk curtains required construction of a special hand operated loom, a one of a kind device, no longer in use. Illuminating the Opera House is a the Lobmeyer Crystal chandelier, a centerpiece with 12,000 crystals. France donated Henri Matisse tapestries which hang in the Opera House lobby. An 8-foot bronze bust of John F. Kennedy rises on a white marble pedestal in the Grand Foyer. Cast by Robert Burks, the bust weighs 3000 lbs. The Ministry of Culture of China donated murals which hang in the China Room, which abuts from the Opera House.

Built between 1964 and 1971, the Kennedy Center Memorial first opened on September 8, 1971 in a star-studded event televised nationally. Leonard Bernstein opened the Arts Venue with his production of Mass, a play involving hundreds of performers and dances. That night, hundreds of actors and performers from across the world traveled to Washington DC for the inauguration of the Kennedy Center.

The Kennedy Center was built to be a living memorial to the spirit of artistic creativity and diversity as well as a memorial to 35th President John F. Kennedy. It has since then been expanded with additional buildings near its main hall through the generous donations from many benefactors as well as from allies from around the world.

The post Thousands Join Hands At The Kennedy Center As Word Spreads Of Planned Demolition appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Washington DC—Hardly anyone then living can forget where they were and what they were doing the moment the first reports flashed. Planes were flying straight into famous buildings on a clear day. The nation was under attack. Many on the East Coast were at work or just arriving when what was first thought to be a single engine plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center complex. Within minutes, morning shows were interrupted and TV screens showed dark smoke coming from a gaping hole of the North Tower in lower Manhattan. Then the unthinkable happened—while millions were watching live news feed—a second plane hit the South tower. The nation was shocked and then afraid and then angry. It would cause heroes to rise amongst it as it struggled to contend with some of the worst of humanity. On the West coast, the country was still asleep though it would soon learn of the unfolding calamity.

A quarter century ago the shock of one of the country’s most traumatic days, awakened the country to the fact it was no longer safe from mass terror. It broke through the myth of American exceptionalism. The country needed friends and allies to help it recover and grieve and determine who was behind the coordinated attacks. The international community rallied to its emotional aid. But it would be a long uneven road to healing.

As it has done for 24 years, the nation will pause to remember September 11, a day forever etched like a dark scar on its heart. It will reflect on the courageous first responders who walked unflinchingly up to an inferno of black acrid smoke. They knew it would be their last call to duty, but they went upstairs anyway.

The photos of the selfless bravery of firefighters and first responders will always be present with us as will the cascading fall of the towers, the ominous dust clouds rising over Manhattan, and the stories of survival. Stories of heroism will be told at the memorials built in honor of those who died that day.

The 9-11 anniversary is also a time to reflect on how far we’ve come as a nation and ask ourselves how it changed us. And how have we changed as a result of 9-11? Was it for the better? Or did we fail to learn from it? What has this nation become since then?

What Led To The 9-11 Terror Attacks

To understand the context of how space was created in the U.S. for mass terror, one must wind back to the first attack on the WTC complex in February 1993 and review the attack on the Alfred Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City in April 1995. Both events were organized and carried out by extremists using parked rental trucks with powerful hand-made bombs. They set the stage for a larger attack because they demonstrated the vulnerability of U.S. open society characteristics. Indeed a society with anonymity and freedom of movement were factors that enabled the extremists to penetrate U.S. society at its core economic, governmental, and military functions.

The extremists were also fundamentalists and behind the first WTC attack.  They used a stolen rental truck with a 1200 pound bomb they constructed out of urea nitrate and parked it inside the WTC North Tower parking garage on February 26, 1993. Just after 12 noon, it exploded killing 6, injuring over 1000, and leaving an 100 foot wide crater inside the garage nearly 3 stories deep. The truck was parked just several feet beyond a main column when it detonated but did not bring down the tower. Had the truck been right next to the column, the explosion would likely have collapsed the tower. It was later determined the mastermind intended to topple the tower into the second tower and bring them both down. A break in the investigation came quickly when police found a small piece of crumpled metal inscribed with the vehicle identification number in the debris of the garage. It led to the arrest of conspirators and bomb making materials in a storage rental space.

The nationalists behind the attack on the Federal Building in Oklahoma also used a homemade bomb. The U.S. home grown-extremists made their bomb out of ammonium nitrate, fuel oil and a timer placed in a rented truck outside the federal building entrance. They bought the ammonium nitrate from agricultural sources.

On April 19, 1995, at 9:02 am it exploded and killed 168, including over 20 children in a daycare center close to the building entrance. Those responsible timed the attack on the 2-year anniversary of the FBI assault on the Branch Davidian compound north of Waco, Texas where 76 died. Its mastermind said he timed the attack in vengeance against the U.S. government for the assault on the Branch Davidian compound.

Both attacks showed the vulnerability of a U.S. open society design. An open society enabled increasing freedoms as envisioned by its founders. Terror would trigger a movement from within to constrain freedom of movement and reduce privacy.

After the attacks the U.S. began placing anti-intrusion gates at entrances and bollards outside federal and private buildings. Pennsylvania Avenue along the North Portico of the White House was permanently closed to regular traffic for increased security because a truck bomb could level the White House from Pennsylvania Avenue. At 75 feet from the street, a median sized device could reach it. Other entrance safeguards were implemented at government buildings. In 1997 the U.S. Department of Transportation implemented monitoring standards of agricultural fertilizer and other chemicals that could be used for explosive devices.

The U.S. was beginning to change in the interest of security. It was slowly losing its open society character. But 9-11 would quickly accelerate that change from securing the country to surveilling it.

9-11 The Day of Infamy

That Tuesday morning stood out as a beautiful weather day; clear and crisply pleasant with barely a cloud in the sky. One could easily see from the roof of the WTC towers for many miles to Philadelphia. In Washington the air was crisp and clear as well and the sky was a deep blue as the Summer season waxed Autumn. The news at that moment was so trivial compared to what was to come. On Good Morning America, a book about billionaire Howard Hughes was hawked. Michael Jordan was coming out of retirement. It was primary election day in New York City. Stocks were near record highs and were set to open higher. The U.S. economic engine was humming as it never had before.

Then the unimaginable began unfolding as most had yet to begin their day. As 18 extremists boarded and hijacked 4 passenger aircraft at different East Coast airports, initial signs registered as blips on air traffic control towers. As they wrestled control from the pilots some messages began getting through that something was wrong.

American Airline Flight 11 Senior Fight Attendant Betty Ong called her airline control center reporting her plane was hijacked from Logan Airport in Boston. People have been maced, she said. Someone had been stabbed in the First Class area and the pilots were not answering their phones. It was the first confirmation of the events to come. She remained on the phone for 23 minutes until 8:46 a.m when Flight 11 was the first Boeing 767 to crash into the WTC North Tower.

One of the hijackers erroneously radioed the air traffic controllers that they had some planes and were returning to the airport. He told everyone to remain quiet and nothing would happen to them.

Then, another 767 hijacked from the same airport flight 175 would hit the South tower at 9:02 am. Millions witnessed the plane flying directly into the South Tower. The sound of the reactions of news casters in newsrooms as well as the public in footage released soon after added to the horrific effects. It was unbelievable that the aircraft were flown deliberately in acts of terror.

Soon, the scenes would escalate even further as unimaginable footage began arriving from the foot of the towers. The NYFD firefighters and Port Authority Police, and New York Police, tried to rescue workers trapped in floors 100 stories above them. They tried to put out fires ignited from crashed jumbo jets with full tanks of jet fuel high above where there was no longer any water pressure. Their tasks were impossible and many knew they would not survive.

Radio of the communications between NYFD Battalion Commanders and their counterparts from NYFD Ladder 11 high up above on floor 78 revealed how dire the situation was just minutes before the South tower collapsed. Yet the intrepid firemen, loyally committed to their purpose without hesitation, battled to save others as the last minutes of their lives ticked away.

At 9:37 am American Flight 77, which was hijacked earlier from Dulles International Airport, crashed into the Pentagon. This was completely unexpected and led to a massive response of firefighters and police from across the region. Scenes of smoke coming from the Pentagon triggered newscasters to say the country was at war but not be able to say who it was at war with. Military interceptor jets were launched from Norfolk Air Station but first flew eastwards in the confusion. More jets were launched from New Jersey towards Washington DC.

At 9:59 am, the South Tower collapsed and was seen live by tens of millions. Under the rubble and smoke were hundreds of NYFD Firefighters, New York Police, Port Authority Police, and several paramedics.

Four minutes later Flight 93, a forth hijacked passenger jet, crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Recorded conversations between passengers, crew, and ground personnel, later confirmed that passengers and the aircraft crew were emboldened to fight after learning of the other three hijacking incidents. They decided to fight the hijackers for control of the aircraft, a heroic moment that would later be made into a movie based on recorded events.

At 10:28 am, the 110 floor South Tower collapsed, ending any chance at rescuing anyone left alive in the WTC complex. Or so it was thought. Several firemen survived in a stairwell because fate was on their side. The physics of the static building and direction of the collapse entombed them inside the debris field. They had been slowly descending because the person they were rescuing could not walk and had to be assisted. Had they gone slower or faster they would have perished. They were the only ones rescued from the collapsed towers.

In all seven buildings would be destroyed in the WTC. An estimated 2977 died that day. An exact number may never be known because of the circumstances surrounding the crashes and collapses. Some workers at the WTC were undocumented and cannot be identified. At the Pentagon 184 died both on American Airlines Flight 77 and in the Pentagon. In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, 40 died. These numbers do not include the hijackers.

On that day 343 firefighters perished, the most in any day in the country’s history.

It was surreal watching the series of events unfold live on TV. It was hard to look away. It could have been a script for a disaster movie but it wasn’t.

Anyone 30 years or younger will likely have scant memories, except through video they later watched or remembering how their parents reacted to the trauma and sorrow it caused. The video recordings strip out the feelings of powerlessness and fear many simultaneously felt that day. Stories of first hand accounts of those who escaped the World Trade Center complex and the Pentagon, portray the events but they do not capture the dread, fear, and anxiety that swept the country as wave after wave of events unfolded.

There were eight major single traumatic incidents that occurred over a period of nine hours, each flowed into the next like dominos falling. Each was horrific in its own way. Then there were dozens of smaller associated events, some of which turned out to be inaccurate. But they all added to a state of anxiety and cold panic. The major TV networks focused on the WTC mainly, and at one point they began sharing the same feed. This was because this quickly became a civil emergency as much as an national tragedy and the networks believed the entire nation needed to be aware of what was going on as it unfolded. There was no way of knowing what other events would unfold.

A panicked public began evacuating every work building in NYC, in Washington DC, as well as many other cities. Schools and businesses closed out of fear of what could happen. It was inconceivable that many passenger jets would fly into every building in every city but this was the reaction of the new face of terror. Government buildings emptied. People poured into the streets. Would my building be attacked too, many asked themselves. Traffic became gridlocked as every worker left for the safety of home and company of family. The metro closed in anticipation of a possible attack. It further delayed commuters. Many crossed bridges out of NYC and Washington DC and walked home. Armed snipers stood on the roof White House anticipating an attack.

Many tried to call love ones for support or as was in the case on the hijacked planes—to say ‘I love you’ and goodbye one last time. This was the case on United Flight 93, a passenger jet that was still over Pennsylvania when its passengers learned by phone calls to loved ones that three other hijacked planes had struck the WTC towers and the Pentagon. They decided to fight back against the hijackers. Their actions were the first in the War on Terror.

False Reporting Further Frightens The Public

Some false reports were spread by news networks. There was a report of a car bomb at the State Department. Another told of a fire on the National Mall. A plane was thought to be flying towards the White House. As a result it was evacuated and yellow tape was stretched around the entire grounds of the area. None of these reports were true. They were later retracted.

Acts Of Heroism, Faces Of Death

Many acts of selflessness and heroism stand out from the tragedy that day. There are many acts that should be remembered as the model for good of that day. Many other stories will never be told for they have died with those who did not make it out.

The story of Welles Crowther, was recently told. He was a young man who wore a red bandanna and helped many make it to the steps downwards, including one who climbed down from Windows of the World Restaurant. He is credited with saving 18.

Another story was recalled about a Lieutenant Colonel who helped rescue a group of victims in the Pentagon. Marylin Wills was in a conference when Flight 11 struck the West Side of Pentagon. In the dark smoke filled burning room a hand reached out and grabbed her. Although badly burned, she told the person to get on her back and she crawled with them to the window. She was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for Heroism as well as the Purple Heart. It was one of the first Purple Hearts awarded in the War on Terror.

Aftermath

What is a building but concrete and steel, drywall and paint, if not for the people occupying it? The symbol of what was originally deemed as plainly boxed eyesores in 1971, had crept its way into the national consciousness as majestic icons. The World Trade Towers were inspiring because they were symbolic of the promise of progress. They were built to last but not survive forever. They weren’t built to survive the assault they received on 9-11.

Most caught in the buildings below the impacts were able to escape because of the novel engineering design. But almost everyone above floor 86 of the South tower were stranded because the stairwells were concentrated at the center of the building near the elevators. Designs of superstructures would be rethought as analysis of the collapse showed what could be done to improve materials and structures.

The result of that day linger in ways easily overlooked. For one the George W. Bush presidency justified the President’s Surveillance Program in the wake of the attacks to create an enormous surveillance apparatus. The secret program was designed at the National Intelligence Agency and authorized capture of every American’s electronic communications.

Bush also sought the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, a multi-billion dollar super agency under which all other existing branches of intelligence, investigative, and enforcement agencies shared information. Combined with the warrantless capture of every person’s email, phone call, and text under the program Stellar Wind, Bush created a super surveillance system.

This was a violation of the 5th Amendment which set forth the idea that citizens should be afforded the rights to privacy unless charged of a crime. The program was halted before it was implemented.

But later, a report that first surfaced in the Guardian as the result of insider knowledge from whistleblower Edward Snowden, exposed the massive program to eavesdrop on Americans’ phone conversations and email had been implemented. This program sidestepped the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, a court designed to approve surveillance in cases of foreign spying. The exposure of the National Security Agency surveillance program was a giant blow to President Bush’s program.

With great power comes even greater responsibility. Misuse of power results in injustice. A government that spies on its entire population is not democratic. It becomes politically and criminally opportunistic. This is why the founders wrote the 5th Amendment into the Bill of Rights. They did not want a king or a government searching without a court order (surveillance) its citizens.

Since 9-11 surveillance has grown to unprecedented levels, much of it designed not for safety sake but for tracking individuals. Recently a Flock camera system set up by a private corporation was found to being abused by particular law enforcement officers stalking people they knew. This system had its seeds planted years ago with U.S. government green lighting of technology to surveil its citizens. This is the opposite of what the founders intended.

The consequences of 9-11 are still playing out 25 years later. Some heroic people showed what good can come from a tragedy. Those faces of courage are the builders of hope. They are the builders we should remember.

Pentagon Remembers 9-11 25th Anniversary Video by DCMG.

Video of 9-11 Pentagon Memorial 20th Anniversary

Further Study and Viewing

Federal Building in Oklahoma City 1995.

Video of WTC remains collection point Sure Kills Landfill on Staten Island

Voices of Ladder 11 in South Tower just before collapse Video story.

Pentagon-Get On My Back I’ll carry You –Story of Colonel Marylyn Willls.

United 93 film created from communications with passengers and crew.

The post Echoes of 9-11 Linger 25 Years On As America Remembers appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Frederick, MD—A group of Frederick residents pulled together to defend the Taskers Chance neighborhood after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) staked out the area Thursday to Friday. The encounter lasted nearly 40 hours and involved scores of people – from the neighborhood itself, from Frederick, and from surrounding counties – working together to keep one another safe from the threat of ICE.

Reportedly, the stake out began when ICE pulled over an individual in Taskers Chance early Thursday morning and threatened to break their window if they did not exit the vehicle. Somehow, the person escaped.

After that, numerous ICE vehicles descended on the neighborhood, sitting at corners and on residential streets, quietly menacing the community. Some people were afraid to leave their homes. Parents did not know if they could safely bring their children to the bus stops, what with a black-tinted Nissan Maxima belonging to ICE now stationed by at least one of those stops.

Even more concerning, on the second day of what one observer called “a siege,” ICE pulled over a community member as they left Taskers Chance to go to work. Though the person was let go, they were badly shaken.

In response to this, the community organized a neighborhood watch to monitor agents’ activity. The residents formed impromptu watch points and began recording ICE movements. Volunteers watched over children as the busses dropped them off. They offered to escort at risk neighbors to work.

As the ICE stakeout entered a second day and word spread, others lent their support. One of those involved in the community effort spoke to DCMG on the condition that they not be identified. They remained in the neighborhood for about a day and served as an observer.

Video of previous ICE actions shared on social media have depicted ICE agents skirting legal boundaries by seizing people without warrants, macing and beating First Amendment protesters, ramming other drivers. and using deadly force to kill unarmed citizens. DHS has in many documented cases, skirted or ignored court orders and directives in response to legal challenges from immigration organizations.

The Thursday over Friday incident in Frederick was no exception to the spotted history of ICE tactics that have played out since this administration adopted a new formula for removal.

Video shared by the observer showed ICE vehicles driving at high speeds down residential streets, circling blocks as an intimidation tactic, and in at least one instant, driving through a stop sign without even slowing down.

In a separate incident on the second day of the stakeout, ICE drove aggressively towards a grandmother who was standing watch on a corner.

According to research by The Marshal Project, ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CPB) have taken 610,000 into custody and placed them in camps, more than the population of Wyoming.

All across the country, ICE, a sub-agency under the umbrella of DHS, has met growing resistance. DHS has drawn severe reprimands from judges and unprecedented reactions from citizens alike as the result of its removal program. The number of deaths of people in its camps was listed by Democracy Now as 57 as on September 4. Its secret flights and lack of notice of where deportees have been taken are raising questions as to international lawful conduct. ICE agents have kidnapped and disappeared 100s of thousands of immigrants since 2025, detained them in crowded cages inside makeshift camps, while under inhumane physical conditions, withheld due process, and deported them to third party countries not of their own origin. Many of the immigrants are legally in the U.S. and waiting in a long queue for citizenship.

The citizens at Tasker Chance were acting in defiance of nationwide federal policy of rounding up immigrants. The combined actions of the neighborhood represent a growing trend of citizens angry at ICE tactics and fearful of the repercussions, yet inspired anyway to organize against State sponsored violence against immigrants not having reached full citizenship.

Neighbors Stand In The Breach For Each Other

They described the neighborhood as “tight-knitted”with a concern of protecting their at-risk neighbors from harm and possible disappearance of their children.

The observer said that there were three levels of support. “There were people from that neighborhood, then there were people from Frederick, and after a call for help went out Friday morning, people from Montgomery County, Baltimore, Hagerstown, and surrounding areas showed up as well.”

There was a mix of experienced activists, some of whom were trained in ICEWatch and rapid response, and others who weren’t trained but just wanted to support their neighbors.

Outside groups began to mobilize to provide food and street medical technical support if needed. It would end up proving to be an important part of the logistics support in the hours to come.

Residents sat on corners in folding chairs holding signs and began their coordinating their 24-7 neighborhood watch. They had no idea how long ICE would be there.

”People organized watches for when the children got on and off the busses because ICE was posted up at a number of corners and intersections, and some of those places were bus stops. ICE wouldn’t move away when the kids were gathered there,” according to the source.

As the night fell, it became apparent what home ICE was targeting because they were parked in unmarked vehicles outside it. Neighbors formed a line outside the home on the sidewalk. They began dancing to music. Fed up with the neighborhood resistance, an ICE agent drove his unmarked vehicle onto the sidewalk in front of the targeted home, ordering the neighbors to get off the property. At the same time another ICE vehicle drove into the street blocking the neighbors from leaving via the street. Some walked onto the grass to avoid getting hit. Video shows the vehicle making contact with a woman. Per the observer, the woman’s foot was run over but her boots prevented injury.

The neighbors locked arms together and formed a human chain in front of the door of the home. ICE agents charged and pushed into them began beating the group. Several were injured. They were later treated by the street medical technicians. Video shows the brutality of ICE agents.

ICE agents went into the home after a youth opened the door. They did not find the person they were looking for. Once the house was cleared, ICE left shortly thereafter.

ICE agents detained one person who was near the porch but released them without charges on the side of a road some distance from the neighborhood.

The County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins showed up and ordered those not living in the neighborhood to return home. And they left.

The source commented on the neighbors who stood up against ICE tactics, saying they were courageous. “Courage isn’t the lack of fear. Courage is taking action despite the fear,” the source said.

Lessons Learned From The Two Day Siege

Several observations can be made based on additional information provided from the source. They reported having observed ICE activities in other neighborhoods in Maryland. This was the longest one of any duration that they observed.

ICE operations were conducted over three shifts for two days. The observer noted between 8 to 10 vehicles of the same make and models. Over 10 to 15 ICE agents were tied down per shift, diverting significant resources from other possible ICE operations areas while this 2-day operation took place.

The close knit neighborhood and network of support and non-violent posture led to a coordinated response from the neighbors and supporters who came to their aid. Many in the neighborhood served as watch outs and communicators of the ICE locations, placing ICE at a disadvantage.

The neighborhood took an interest in protecting itself from an unlawful ICE operation. Nothing the neighborhood did was illegal. They were exercising their First Amendment rights.

ICE, on the other hand is violating basic rights established in the Bill of Rights, such as due process and illegal searches. The time will come when those individuals who are ‘following orders’ will be made to answer for their actions.

There are other factors and details the observer confirmed that remain unpublished. The end result was no one was disappeared from the neighborhood. ICE did not maim or worse, kill anyone. Notwithstanding the injuries sustained by multiple activists, this was about as good a result as was possible.

The country is now in the midst of a serious crisis with respect to immigration enforcement. It has been argued that this is as bad as the period during WWII when the U.S. rounded up Japanese Americans. It is a period many will look back on and describe in unkind terms.

The post Concerned Citizens Stand Against ICE In Frederick Maryland appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Washington DC—Thousands returned to the Lincoln Memorial on Friday morning in a referendum of government for failing to honor its commitment to equal rights for everyone. The March On Washington 2026 was held 63 years to the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. His impassioned message helped usher the civil rights movement from a footnote into prime time, and supercharged the movement which is still going today. It set the standard for what social and economic equality should look like. Friday’s march revived Dr. King’s call to social and economic equality.

As a deep blue sky shadowed the background of a bright white Lincoln Memorial, the speakers told how they would not allow the selfless sacrifices of 1960s civil rights leaders to be swept away.

One after another, speakers said that the nation had failed to keep its promise of equality. They spoke with the same rhythm and reason as Martin Luther King Jr. near the footprints he left 63 years ago. Their words contrasted the country’s 1963 legislative promises against its failed delivery of social and economic access. They concluded that legislative changes to civil rights promises in 2026 were giant steps backwards.

As one solution, speakers urged voters to “have a plan” by registering to vote and taking someone along with them. But there is a point that wrestling executive branch power back into service for those for which it was intended requires more than just voting, especially if the power of the vote is being subverted by executive branch policies that suppress that voting.

For even as they spoke, a new post office rule restricting mailed voting ballots as well as presidential orders demanding States’ voting lists, were being challenged in the courts. Many speakers railed against the Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais which overturned a lower court ruling and codified partisan gerrymandering as a legitimate government purpose. The recent decision allows States to tilt the balance of power in the legislature more favorably toward White majority districts. It has already resulted in the erasure of Black voting power in Tennessee and Alabama. In those States there are no longer any Black majority voting blocks. The decision further split Black majority voting blocksin six States altogether, severely muting the voices millions of Black voters in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, and North Carolina. The Supreme Court decision was a major blow to the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Speakers Set Tone For November Elections

Chief among the speakers critical of the Supreme Court decision was Revered Al Sharpton, President and Founder of National Action Network, and organizer of the March on Washington 2026. The elder civil rights leader railed against Trump’s attacks on civil rights without mentioning him by name, but he did not need to mention who was behind the attacks.

“The Callais decision by the Supreme Court put a bullet in the heart of voting rights,” he said. Casting the Supreme Court as ruling from a pre-1963 mindset, he said, “But they don’t understand, we’re not going back. We will not let them turn back the hand of time. They can turn back the clock but they can’t turn back time. And if we go home and organize like they did in 1963, we can put a handicap on the most biased, bigoted presidency that we’ve seen in a long time.”

The march was joined by labor, faith, Latino, voting rights and community organizations. The group leaders spoke from the podium on the Lincoln Memorial steps as well. Many leaders who spoke followed in the footsteps of the same labor, clergy, and civil rights leaders of their organization predecessors who spoke in 1963.

“If your vote didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be working so hard to take it away from you,” said Everette Kelly, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees, which is the largest union representing federal and D.C. government employees. Kelly condemned the Doge takeover of government agencies and removal of tens of thousands of government employees who had kept the country operating safely with oversight needed for basic functions such as food inspections, weather forecasting, and air traffic control.

“Our ancestors didn’t pay the price for us to stand here quiet[ly],” he said. “There’s power in ‘We’ and in 10 weeks this election day will show them what a bad mistake that was.”

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke about how the civil right leaders of 1963 were not handed a movement but had to build one. “The civil rights movement is the foundation for a Great Society,” she said. “We are living in the legacy of it today. But their vision went further than their victory. America may have agreed to open the lunch counter but it never committed to us affording the meal.”

Ocasio-Cortez argued, “America is wealthier than it has ever been. Yet millions of Americans work every day to afford the basics. It is not simply an economic failure, it is a moral and structural failure. We must work to fix it.”

Marcos Smyth, an artist working with Third Act-DMV, spoke about the march after he returned home that day. “Minorities and Blacks have been marginalized,” he said. This administration is trying to turn its back on Black people by making it more difficult to vote.”

Smyth brought a paper mache caricature of Trump on a wheeled cart he built. He originally designed and helped other artists build the puppet for the No Kings II rally in March of this year, and refashioned it for the March on Washington. But he didn’t want the caricature of Trump to be anything near the overarching reason the March on Washington was returning to the Lincoln Memorial. But so many people liked the puppet he was delayed by the many requests from participants asking to take a photo with him and the puppet.

“It’s not intended as a get out the vote message,” he said. But it couldn’t be helped to presume it was an inspiration for people to vote because it was Trump that was behind many of their rights being taken away.

Civil Rights Gains of 1963 Are Being Erased

After the 1963 march the nation has made significant progress by 1965, passing legislation codifying equal rights in many sectors which have been retracted in the last 2 years. In 1965, the birth of the great society, equal rights gains finally began to align with forefathers’ visions af a nation of equality and justice for all.. the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, .

But the dozens of speakers assembled warned that rights previously gained and the survival of democracy hung in a balance and was weighted down by the willful efforts of the wealthy and powerful influences to diminish it.

Under the policies of the most wealthy president the nation has ever elected, the viability of democracy was at stake, the speakers argued. This is because the wealthy are responsible for the loss of democratic norms by funding its demise. Elon Musk gave $200 million to the Trump presidential reelection campaign in 2019. He also offered voters a lottery of a million dollars if they voted for Trump. It was a lottery which turned out to be a fake ploy to gain votes for Trump. He never paid anyone a million dollars for voting for Trump because it was illegal to do so. Still, many fell for his ploy.

Trump is the nations first multi-billionaire president, leveraging the power of his office to form policy to his personal benefit and self enrichment. No other president has come anywhere close to the amount of wealth accumulated in office while president. The Supreme Court effectively crowned him as an untouchable from prosecution for official acts as president with its ruling in Trump v. United States, so that any official act he takes cannot lead to trial conviction. Further, the Supreme Court has ruled in his favor in nearly every case brought before it. This has in effect green-lighted many of the undoings of the constitutional order, and will make more difficult reversing the damage he has done to civil rights.

The Hart–Celler Act, or Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, was a federal law passed by the 89th United States Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The law abolished the National Origins Formula, which had been the basis of U.S. immigration policy since the 1920s.

Trump’s Department of Homeland Security has through its Immigration and Customs Enforcement division, nearly blown the Immigration and Nationality Act out of existence. The draconian immigration policies under Trump’s White House have led to death of U.S. citizens, immigrants, and mass chaos across the country. The resulting chaos from ICE has enabled kidnapping, disappearance, and unlawful abuse in detention camps of thousands of migrants and immigrants without due process, pending deportation.

ICE “Ha[s] adopted methods and routine tactics that frequently lead to serious civil rights violations. They are committing these violations at a scale and severity without precedent in our nation’s recent history,” according to the ACLU in a July published report documenting 1200 incidents.

In 1965, the Social Security Amendments Act was also signed into law by President Johnson. It was also a part of the vision of the Great Society. It created Medicare and Medicaid, health insurance for those over 65. With the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill,” legislation, ugly in both application and scope, it would cause the suffering and sickness of millions unable to afford rising costs of medical care in their retirement years. Billions will be cut from the provisions of this 1965 Act in order to afford tax breaks for the wealthy which go into effect in January 2027.

The post March On Washington Returns To Lincoln Memorial 63 Years After Iconic MLK Speech appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Washington DC—On Saturday afternoon DC residents rallied in opposition to street patrols of armed National Guard Soldiers. Organized by the Party of Socialism and Liberation, multiple speakers told of the negative effects from the deployment of thousands of armed troops throughout the city. They also called on residents to increase pressure on city leadership to end the armed patrols and request National Guard be returned to their States. They also demanded DC be given Statehood.

Statehood would afford the rights to self-governance and representation under the Constitution. The National Guard occupation would not have been allowed within the District limits had its residents enjoyed full Statehood, several speakers said. There are currently 4600 National Guard assigned to parrots in the District and they are being moved from hotel rooms to apartments at a cost of $292 million, according to a published report on the WJLA News website. Their patrols are being extended to January 2029, the end of Trump’s term.

The National Guard Soldiers have been occupying city neighborhoods and public spaces since August 11, last year. One year ago Trump ordered the activation of National Guard units from several States to patrol the downtown area near Union Station, Metro train stations, and the National Mall. He had falsely claimed the District was experiencing a “crime emergency.” National Guard troops enjoined federal law enforcement agencies already surging in DC under the guise of a fighting crime in the city. Trump also took over control and oversight of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) website conflicted with his claims of a DC violent crime wave. Historical crime statistics show the violent crime in the District was trending at an unprecedented 30 year low. The DOJ website page breaks crime down by category and also showed some minor crime type statistics marginally increased year over year from 2024. But it showed serious crime had decreased significantly in 30 years.

On September 4, 2025, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed suit against Trump, Hegseth, and the Department of Justice for deployment of National Guard. In its filing, Schwalb wrote, “Defendants’ actions flout the Posse Comitatus Act and its counterpart, 10 U.S.C. § 275, which enshrine the nation’s foundational prohibition on the participation of military forces in domestic law enforcement absent the most extreme exigencies, such as an invasion or rebellion. Defendants have established a massive, seemingly indefinite law enforcement operation in the District subject to direct military command.”

The Posse Comitatus Act forbids U.S. Armed Forces for policing unless there is a declaration of an emergency such as an insurrection, civil unrest, a hurricane, or other natural disaster. DC is currently under none of these conditions, yet an appeals court declined to order a stop to the deployment as appeals courts have ordered in other States where suits were brought against National Guard deployments.

Speakers Denounced Troops As An Illegal Occupying Force

A spokesperson from the Party of Socialism and Liberation said there was no crime emergency in the city. “A year ago the Trump administration told us these troops were going to be placed here to make the city more safe and to lessen the crime in our communities, even going so far as to declare DC a public safety emergency,” said Madoca, an organizer with PSL. “But anyone living in this city knows that this is far from the truth. The guise of safety has always been a falsehood,” they said.

Cam, a lead organizer with the Answer Coalition, was emphatic about the National Guard troops being used to further tropes of racism and oppression in a city that is predominantly African American. “Before their arrival these Soldiers were fed a distorted image of our city. In the media [they were told] that what is unfamiliar and feared is a threat. The social media [told them] that our city is plagued with viciousness and ineptitude giving way to neglect and crime. This image is widespread on social media. But putting them [here], they recognize that their neighbors are not criminals, that poverty is not filth, and the only sector of our city that needs cleaning are the halls of government.”

Statehood Would Give DC Residents A Voice In Their Government

DC has a an overwhelming progressive voter base and Statehood would add two seats to the Senate and one seat to the House chamber. These would likely be Independent or Democratic Party Senators and an Independent or Democratic Representative. A two-thirds majority vote in both chambers, with Presidential signature would be required under the Constitution to pass the Statehood Act. In 2016, 85% of DC residents supported Statehood.

In 2020 Eleanore Holmes-Northern helped gain 223 cosigners for H.R. 51, a Bill that would provide a path to DC Statehood. According to her website, “Support for Norton’s bill has been overwhelming. H.R. 51 has a record number of House cosponsors (223) and the Senate’s D.C. statehood bill, introduced by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), also has the most cosponsors ever (34). Earlier this year, the House passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which contained extensive findings supporting D.C. statehood, marking the first time in history either chamber of Congress has endorsed D.C. statehood.”

DC Statehood And Autonomy Would Have Prevailed In Court Over Occupational Forces

DC Statehood is justified for many reasons, the least of which are the occupation forces now patrolling District streets. Another reason is the absence of just taxation in a democratic system. Taxing sales revenue without giving citizens a voice was the basis for the revolt by the Colonists against the British Crown in the 1770s. Their rallying call was that there should be ‘no taxation without representation.’ And DC residents pay some of the highest taxes in terms of property taxes, income taxes and corporate taxes. DC lines up aa collectively the 48th most heavily taxed zone in comparison to all States’ tax rates. DC also has no representation in neither the House of Representatives nor in the Senate. A ceremonial House seat was set aside and is “elected” every 2-years by DC citizens and held presently by Eleanore Holmes Norton, but she has no voting power and no official voice in the House. Therefore DC residents are actually citizens in name only. They are similar to nomads in another country, locked out of their own democratic system.

Meanwhile all other States enjoy representation in both legislative chambers giving their residents access to redress grievances through their representatives. The State of Wyoming, for example, has one House representative and two Senators though it has far fewer residents than the District. Wyoming only has 588,000 residents, and the District has 702,000. That’s 114,000 more than Wyoming. Further, Wyoming residents pay a per capita tax rate of $4,009.00 while District of Columbia residents pay a per capita tax rate of $15,009.00. While Wyoming is ranked first in tax competitiveness (the lowest taxes average per person), the District is 48th in tax competitiveness (one of the highest taxed zones in the country).

DC also has one of the highest costs of living in the country and unlike other States, DC cannot charge out-of-state workers income taxes because it is not a State. Workers in adjacent states enjoy the higher paying jobs DC has to offer but pay less in taxes in both Maryland and Virginia. This therefore places DC residents at a greater economic disadvantage, causing them to depend on Congress for funding for shortfalls.

DC also may also lose its ’Home Rule’ status under Trump, something that took decades to achieve. Home Rule, or the ability to set its own statutes because it is the prerogative of the Congress to give it autonomy. Since the majority party has ceded its power to Trump, he could take Home Rule by executive order and with the stroke of a pen. It would be challenged in the courts but by not having Statehood, there is no guardrail to protect what limited autonomy District residents have.

Push For DC Statehood Spurred By Military Occupation

The occupying military forces patrolling DC Streets and the resulting mobilization of citizen’s rights groups have virtually guaranteed a future positive outcome for Statehood. When the balance of power within the legislature is contested in November 2026, its power is certain to shift back to Democrats in the House and possibly in the Senate too. With this shift will come increased pressure to give DC the Statehood it has been demanding for decades.

The post DC Residents Rally To End National Guard Occupation appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Washington DC—They rode up late at night along the silent driveway to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Stopping just long enough to attach a few cables and turn on their projector, they beamed a light show from a car window. Security was caught totally flat-footed. The light show parodied Trump’s vanity project for shuttering the venerable monument and cloaking its name.

The light show borrowed from another show the group displayed on the back of the Kennedy Center in February. But this time they updated it to make fun of the fact that U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper ruled against every effort to take over, rename, and degrade services at the venerable arts center.

The activists knew they shouldn’t be out late taking part in clandestine activity like that. Amidst the oppressive humidity of evaporating democracy, things could get out of hand. It could put them afoul of a law prohibiting defacement of buildings. Lampooning a presidential vanity project could get them into real deep State trouble. “Stranger things have happened.”

A former Olympian was charged with felony vandalism for his arms length reach into the reflecting pool to touch algae sodden paint. That was no joke. He had to retain counsel and show up in court on a bogus charges which were later dismissed…because they were bogus. Such fate could easily befall them.

What a golden opportunity they thought. It felt good anyway to take a stab at taking down a narcissist’s inflated vision of himself. Stick a bug in the eye of At this juncture what did the light runners have to lose? A little light here and there, speaking truth and power to darkness never hurt anyone. But apparently it had.

A rent-a-cop wearing a heavily starched uniform credentialed with BTI Special Police patches and a good performance ribbon, bounded out of the shadows to stop them. He jumped in front of the light beam. But by then it was already too late. Some of the light show got through. The video was caught. And by the same time the next night, it would be going places.

The video was a redux production of a previous light show on the back side of the Kennedy Center. The new show added a few updates including a show curtain opening to reveal Trump’s name falling off letter by letter from the Kennedy Center.

“You can’t project something onto the building’” he said. “Because it’s a federal building you can’t project anything onto the building. I looked it up.”

The projectionists were cooperative and turned off the projector. Plausible deniability of the law won the day and they were free to go. They drove away.

Back in February the team of rent-a-cops that night couldn’t stop the show because the projection was out of the Kennedy Center zone, beyond their reach. It was beamed from U.S. Park jurisdiction along the Potomac River. So the special police did the only thing they could and took pictures of the activists. The projectionists didn’t care. The kept the lights going right up until National Park Police came and ran them off. They got plenty of honks in support from passing motorists.

Trump’s Kennedy Center Board, a bobble head group he appointed by himself to do whatever he told them to do, had voted in December 2025 to authorize a name change of the memorial to the late 35th president. The White House announced the Board vote to change the name and the next day on December 19, 2025, workers altered its title by placing his own name over the top of John F. Kennedy’s name.

A suit was filed over the change. Eventually U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled and ordered the Trump appointed board to remove it within 14 days by June 12. They took it down on June 13 in the early morning hours, late by several hours. The removal didn’t take long but rather than take it down in daylight construction workers waited until after nightfall to put up a tarp so as to conceal its removal.

A narcissist hates public humiliation. But hundreds of DC residents thronged to the sleepy area outside of the Kennedy Center into the late night and early morning hours jeering and chanting as the name was take down. The tarp didn’t stop District residents from gloating and celebrating the Schadenfreude of the takedown.

The shame of having to remove it was too much for someone who has been taught all their life and had grown to adulthood to do something other children have been taught not to do. That is to never admit wrong doing. So he concealed the removal of his name with a giant tarp. The tarp is still in place as of August 13, 2026, three months after the court ruling to remove Trump’s name.

Judge Cooper also prohibited the Trump-appointed Board from closing down the Arts Center and cancelling events already scheduled.

But in a late breaking update the Trump appointed Kennedy Center Board has voted to add Trump’s name as a credit for renovation, and to close the arts center for 2 years to renovate it. Both of these votes go against Judge Cooper’s previous ruling. This story is not going away quietly.

But on this night the rabble-rousers succeeded in sneaking into the Arts Center complex in plain view. They drove right up to the front and acted boldly. They know they’re taking a calculated risk running their game of light shows. As of this, which is at least their 25th consecutive show, it is not doing any harm to or damaging any part of District architecture or memorials. It’s not that it is costing taxpayers anything. It’s that they are projecting light shows unexpectedly in prominent places and getting away with it. It’s that they’re doing something a ballooning authoritarian does not want them to do but hasn’t been able to stop them. And that’s what resistance is all about. It’s the kind of resistance that others see and laugh at the moment. They feel good at seeing something funny that others are doing. By resisting anyway, even though things are getting difficult they’re spreading the joy of good trouble. It’s the kind of resistance that makes others say to themselves: look at what they’re doing. I can do something like that too.

The post Projectionists Beam New Kennedy Center Makeover Version With Light Show Parody Of Trump appeared first on DCMediaGroup.

Washington DC—It was nine years ago on August 12, that dozens of supremacist, Alt-Right, neo-nazi, klansmen, and nationalist groups rallied in Charlottesville, Virginia against a plan to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from downtown Lee Park. Organized by Jason Kessler, the ‘Unite the Right’ rally was a 2-day event held 11-12 August 2017 to link far right groups into an extended extremist movement revitalizing White supremacy. The groups gained more public footing that Summer, after Trump centered nationalist figures and parroted extreme right wing talking points from his position of power. It helped create the climate and space nurturing extremism in public spaces.

Richard Spencer and his National Policy Institute, was also present at the Unite the Right rally. His far right extremist organization had already held a rally at the Press Club in downtown Washington DC the night before the 2016 inauguration. He had also held a conference at the Ronald Reagan World Trade Center and other rallies in Washington DC. Gatherings of alt-right and neo-nazis were taking place in other cities across the country.

Members of the Unite the Right groups rallied the evening of August 11 at the University of Virginia, carrying tiki-torches in the evening and chanting anti-Semitic slogans. Their cries of “Blood and soil” and “You will not replace us,” drew alarm. They were throwbacks to the Third Reich rise to power during the Weimar Republic of pre-1933 Germany. Video of a stream of men walking with torches and chanting extremist chants popped up that Friday night on social media and spread like a fire in a mattress warehouse. There were clashes between the hundreds of torch bearing extremists and counter-protesters. Mace was spayed onto counter-protesters and police declared an unlawful assembly.

Charlottesville Riot—Epoch of Incredulity

The next day, an independent media colleague requested help in covering the Saturday rally and offered to drive to Charlottesville. So we went. We parked in a public lot not more than five blocks from Robert E. Lee Park, site of the giant Lee statue scheduled to be removed.

Getting close to Lee Park and the supremacist rally was straight forward. It was surprisingly easy to access. There were few Virginia State Police and only a line of short traffic metal barricades with a single strip of yellow police tape reading ‘Police Line-Do No Cross’ set up to separate the rally and counter-protesters. It seemed a considerably lax crowd control preparation. I’d covered many events in the District where right wing extremists showed up and the resultant counter-protests were never calm and orderly demonstrations. There were almost always clashes so DC police knew how to prepare for them.

So seeing such a large group of Alt-right, supremacists, and neo-nazis come together at an event with little police presence presented all the possible ingredients of incendiary civil unrest. There were fewer than a dozen police at the park. At one point there were about six police stationed at the barricades. There were several hundred extremists and as many as 500 counter-protesters. The die was cast for an historic confrontation. Police should and could have been ready, especially considering the clash from the night before. They were not prepared.

Reverend Cornel West joined hands and locked arms with dozens of fellow clergy, forming a long human wall separating the supremacists and neo-nazis from the assembled counter-protesters. When asked what his message was, he told me, “Bearing witness to love and justice.” It was the last moment of calm before the dam broke.

The rally had been scheduled to begin at 12 noon but counter-protesters had already streamed to the park oppose the extremist groups. Heckling gave way to taunting and threats. Shoving gave way to punching and assaults. The assembly was declared unlawful by 11:30 am, before it was actually scheduled to begin. Police ordered the Unite the Right rally to leave Lee park. As supremacists began leaving and walking in groups directly into counter-protesters, anti-racist counter-protesters began chanting, “ No Nazis, no KKK, no fascist USA.”

They carried signs reading ’Black Lives Matter,’ and ‘Smash Supremacy,’ amongst other hand-made signs.

One moment of relative rationality stood out in the chaos, although there were many disturbing moments. A supremest holding a heavy shield and wearing goggles and a gas mask around his neck faced off with a sparsely dressed Black man. Tony Lewis wore only a white tank top, some slacks and a black baseball cap with a black ‘X’ over its bill.

On the shield was painted “NC 14,” a reference to the so-called “race riot” in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1898. Then, during what was actually a terrorist coup, thousands of Whites overthrew the democratically elected mixed-race government of Wilmington, burned the only African American newspaper office, burned and looted all the Black-owned businesses, and killed or lynched an estimated 3-400 Blacks. The “N.C. 14” painted on his shield was a reference to this dark day in history but the symbolism eluded many of us at that moment.

Lewis confronted the White man behind the shield after hundreds of extremists began leaving the park. Lewis tried to reason with the man, saying, I am an American too.” Lewis also told him he was a Veteran who had served in uniform during the Persian Gulf War but the man refused to hear or listen to what he had to say. The man told Lewis to “leave us alone.” It seemed that the attitude he held against Lewis mimicked the tones of 1898 Wilmington.

Moments later someone launched fireworks over the opposing groups. It was hard to tell from what side it came. Others hurled plastic bottles of water, further egging on the commotion. Then sticks and banner poles were used as clubs. Some of the supremacists carried clubs with them to the rally. They were certainly outfitted for street violence, wearing riot gear, shields, and helmets. (DCMediaGroup story from that day.)

The cordon of clergy left as the Virginia State Police declared an unlawful assembly. It was the second of such declarations they issued that weekend. What few police had been there had left the park and there were no police to stop the clashes. The opposing groups were now locked in street battles. They confronted and battled in the narrow streets and we in the media were caught in the center of the riot as factions fought for control of its center.

Sign posts became clubs and opponents beat each other. Many were injured severely. A man stomped on another who had been knocked unconscious. Several dragged him. A woman was bloodied.

As we were caught in the center, groups somehow ignored us. Someone fired a shot. It sounded like a pistol, based on previous marksmanship training. A helicopter hovered above. No police stopped or attempted to intervene to stop the fighting which had melted into the plasma of a riot. Someone threw urine and it splashed across the press line. I was thankful it wasn’t a stone. Urine can be washed away. A bloody soaked wound, not so.

We escaped through a gap in the fighting and turned east back up the hill towards the parking garage a few blocks away. We saw a group of supremacists beating a young Black man who was unconscious. We later learned his name was Deondre Harris. He was treated by street medics at the scene but needed hospitalization based on the seriousness of his wounds. We had parked feet from where he was beaten.

The worst was yet to come.

As the counter-protesters organized to march against the United the Right rally, James Fields, a white supremacist, deliberately drove his car into the assembly as it was preparing to march, killing activist Heather Heyer, and injuring 19 others, some severely.

We did not witness this but the incidents we had seen were quite enough to make every one of us sick. Several friends I knew who went to the street march were forever changed by what they saw.

During a phone interview with Jason Charter, a witness to the car attack, he said, “I heard the car screeching and I turned and see it ramming people, throwing them on the windshield and into the air,” he said. “I ran to help people and make sure they were ok and people were everywhere screaming medic.”

Charter said that moments after the car backed up, medics were on the scene helping the injured. He was shaken up by the incident. Video of Charlottesville riots (Caution Content warning—depicting violence).

Aftermath of the Charlottesville Riots

If anything could be said good about the riots it was that it re-awakened the nation to a vein of racial hatred that has existed for over two centuries. The nation clamored to denounce the groups that created havoc in Charlottesville and Jason Kessler’s ill conceived plan to unite them. His rally had the opposite effect he intended. Attitudes towards symbolic public memorials to Civil War figures changed quickly and irreversibly as citizens rallied to pressure State and local governments to remove them from public spaces and parks.

James Fields, then 20, was convicted after a federal trial and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 419 years. He was subsequently tried and sentenced in Charlottesville by a State court to life imprisonment. DCMediaGroup story about the trial of James Fields.

Heather Heyer was celebrated and heralded as a civil rights beacon. She had not even planned to go to the protest but was going to meet her boyfriend for lunch nearby. She was an accidental activist that day and caught at the scene. Her mother dedicated the rest of her life to speaking out against racism in her daughter’s memory.

The blowback against Kessler was a tsunami of change. He attempted to hold a press conference the next day on 13 August in downtown Charlottesville but was run out of town by angry citizens. His speech was drowned out by angry opponents. Police had to escort him to safety.

Kessler foolishly tried a Unite the Right protest in Washington DC a year later with a march from George Washington University to the White House. About five people showed up to join him. Trackers captured his movements at the metro in Vienna. They noticed groups which had begun mobilizing weeks before in anticipation of his return. Nearly 15,000 from civil rights and human rights groups from across the region rallied in opposition to him and thousands of DC police and Federal agents formed a cordon to keep people from getting close to him. Video of Kessler and Unite the Right march in DC on August 12, 2018.

The Robert E. Lee statue was removed. The park was renamed Emancipation Park in 2017. Its name was changed again to Market Street Park in July 2018. Another Charlottesville park named after Stonewall Jackson, also a well-known Confederate General, was also renamed to Justice Park that year. Southern heritage statues came down from many cities across the South. Some were taken down by citizens with ropes and chains.

A statue of Confederate General Pike in Washington DC was taken down by citizens in 2018 after National Park Service deterred its removal. DCMediaGroup story about the Pike statue.

Richard Spencer’s National Policy Institute fell out of favor as a tide of opposition in Alexandria among citizens rose against it. The landlord renting space to his organization did not renew his lease. His website went dark in 2020.

The aftermath of the United the Right rallies saw citizens reclaiming their power over the inherent evil of supremacy by mobilizing and showing up where it reached into public forums. Rallies and protests against supremacy were held in many towns and cities across the country. This in turn carried momentum into the Black Lives Matter movement.

Video of Charlottesville Riots on August 12, 2017:

Video of anti-racism protests in DC on August 12, 2028.

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Washington DC—What was supposed to be a brief light projection onto a building turned into a lesson in First Amendment rights for DC Police on Wednesday night. While activists projected a series of slides onto the side of John Hopkins University at 5th & Pennsylvania, a security guard from the site approached them requesting they stop the projection. The activists declined the guard’s request, saying it was within their rights to project light from a public space—in this case, from the median of Pennsylvania Avenue.

At that particular median, DC police have jurisdiction. Jurisdiction in DC can be confusing and is complicated by the 47 different police agencies enforcing statutes within the District, as they have different areas of responsibility. For example, the Supreme Court is just five blocks away from the John Hopkins annex and the Supreme Court Police do not allow light projections from the street. It is a separate branch of government unto itself and therefore sets its own rules for its building.

The National Park Service (NPS) will not allow light projections onto national monuments. The NPS has jurisdiction over all the national monuments. The boundaries of the monuments are usually at the edge of the curb of the District streets, which then changes jurisdiction to District police. The streets in the boundaries of the National Mall are NPS jurisdiction.

The John Hopkins annex targeted by the projectionists is the former site of the Newseum. Washingtonians will recall it as a museum to showcase the free press and the First Amendment. The Newseum closed after financial difficulties caused losses in the millions. The beginning of the Corona Virus pandemic at the end of 2019 also sealed its fate. It sold the building to John Hopkins University which opened its graduate program there.

The security guard called DC police to intervene and stop the activists from projecting their light show. They still politely refused to go.

The light-show was a series of slides taking a jab at the Republican Party for allowing the president to break down democratic guards and promote his profit driven agenda without congressional oversight. It was in effect an indictment of those in the legislature who refuse to exercise their power under the constitution.

About an half hour later police officers arrived and asked the activists to end their show. Police cited DC code they claimed the activists were going against. The activists requested to see the code and police shared it with them from their vehicle screen. The DC code details what constitutes “defacement” of a building. It was this law that the police officer was referring to as grounds to stop the projection.

Marcos was the acting police liaison and calmly interacted with the police officer. He read back to him the DC code. He pointed out that nowhere did it mention that light projection from a public space was illegal. The light was not ‘defacing’ the building because it was not damaging the building.

Code of the District of Columbia § 22–3312.01. Defacing public or private property, reads:

“It shall be unlawful for any person or persons willfully and wantonly to disfigure, cut, chip, or cover, rub with, or otherwise place filth or excrement of any kind; to write, mark, or print obscene or indecent figures representing obscene or objects upon; to write, mark, draw, or paint, without the consent of the owner or proprietor thereof, or, in the case of public property, of the person having charge, custody, or control thereof, any word, sign, or figure.”

There is no mention of light projection in this code. Light does not technically deface a building edifice. Once it is turned off the image is gone. The officer saw that no damage was being done to the building.

Marcos was calm and deliberate in his interaction with the police officer. He stood his ground but did not raise his voice. Once the officer consulted his supervisor back at the station, he returned and apologized for getting it wrong and asked how much longer the activists would be there. It was getting late so they broke down their projector and left.

According to Marcos, some of the lessons learned included knowing the law as well as the limits of the jurisdiction. This is especially an important part of direct action in the District because there are many different jurisdictions. Remaining calm and not escalating the situation also helped the situation from becoming a long night for everyone.

In effect, having a police liaison and instructing everyone in a group to refer questions to the police liaison is a key strategy in direct actions. The liaison must be both knowledgeable on the law and a calming voice and stabilizing factor in a stressful situation. If others in the group become involved or escalate it can undermine the efforts of the police liaison.

Editor’s note: This story was amended to reflect more detail in the interaction between the police officer and the activists.

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Washington DC—Third Act-DMV turned its projector lights onto the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (NMAH) late at night on Wednesday to highlight pressure to remove an history exhibit about tumultuous periods of the United States. The display focuses on the nation’s factual history of indigenous people, immigrants, enslaved people, and women, among other minority groups. It poses a basic question about the struggle of minorities to attain equality from the perspective of those adversely affected, during heightened periods of minority struggle to access the American promise. It draws the viewer into a victim’s point of view, potentially casting an unappealing shadow on how a nationalist’s point of view might conflict with what the democratic system intends.

The light projection was a simple yet poignant set of slides of a caricature of Trump overseeing a paint brush whitening out the history of immigration, the history of the struggle for equality of African-Americans, the present and ongoing fight to remove immigrants from their communities, and covering up a history outline of how minorities fought for their rights as the budding democracy began to emerge from its founders’ vision into living reality. The light show also focused for good measure its whitening paintbrush of the present: the gutting of the voting rights act, the redacting of empirical scientific climate science from websites, the gutting of information agencies such as NASA, NOAA and the department of Education, as well as a host of other issues the Trump policies have taken issue with.

As the light show beamed on the giant Smithsonian NMAH edifice, a few late night tourists stopped to take pictures but otherwise there were few observers. The series of Third Act-DMV night light actions are almost never announced as is in keeping with the strategy of the group. They video their actions and then disappear like fireflies.

On the night of the projection the National Museum of American History was closed and dark inside. While there are so many other stories much more urgently pressing down on the spirit of the country in the midst of celebrating its 250th year, the white washing of American history was no less important a moment. This is because it is yet one more example of a nation in full reversal from its role as an engine of democratic principles being replaced with authoritarian rules.

At the beginning of 2025, DC activists first began warning that the genesis of Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) and its takedown of the liberal and regulatory agencies of democratic government was a first step towards authoritarianism. As Doge was taking over and gutting or cancelling whole agencies, legacy media was in effect asleep at the teleprompter, focusing on reporting the latest Trump outrage, and not providing significant analysis as to how his policies would affect the liberal design of the government.

The legacy media was also avoiding the subject of how the Doge story paralleled the Third Reich takedown of the pre-1933 Weimar Republic of Germany and how its takedown then led to a Fascist state. It seemed the incurious U.S. Press had disavowed the ‘F’ word altogether and instead reported anything that would catch the next wave of outrage. It seemed legacy media was avoiding anything that could get it banned from the West Wing. Some were banned anyway for not staying in line with the newly unwritten anti-First Amendment rules of order and for not knowing how to stay in their new place.

But by May 2025, even some of the most non-intrusive activists in the pop-off resistance had figured out—just 5 months into the takeover—that authoritarian policies were spreading through government. They mapped out each of the policies into placards showing the steps towards fascism. It took over a year for their warnings to creep into the vernacular of mainstream discourse.

The historian Heather Cox Richardson argued last Summer that the U.S. was by definition and technically not in a fascist state. Now she is freely noting it on her podcasts and has been for some time.

During an early November press conference in the Oval Office with Trump and newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a reporter asked the mayor to clarify his claims made during the NYC mayor’s race that he thought Trump’s policies were Fascist. As Mamdani began to answer in a round about way, Trump interjected and answered directly for him, saying, “That’s ok, you can just say yes.”

Fascism—Are We There Yet?

Signs of creeping fascism started with a trickle then went to a full fledged gusher as the regime began criticizing judges, slow walking their temporary restraining orders, or just flat out defying court rulings in cases involving kidnapping and removal of immigrants and green card holders vis-a-vis DHS and ICE. Recall the never ending case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a green card holder falsely accused of trafficking, who was kidnapped, and disappeared by ICE to El Salvador. Then there was the violations of federal worker employment rights, the takedown of consumer protections (CFPB), imposing of illegal tariffs which is the sole responsibility of the Legislature and not the prerogative of the Executive branch of government. The list goes on. The policy design was to break the liberal guardrails of the regulatory system in place for over 80 years.

One thing Fascism does it its final phases is try to rewrite history by removing every proof of past history that undermines its agenda. Of such agenda is the removal of the diversity and culture of the people that do not fit into its racist or nationalistic image. The removal of Admirals and Generals from their positions based on a preconceived notion that they were promoted based on race or gender, diversity, ethnicity and inclusion (DEI) and removing from the ranks of the Armed Forces the transgender persons, taking their access to medical transition care, are yet more signs of this. Redacting transgender and nonbinary terms from records and passports, taking their access to sports teams and to bathrooms, are further eroding norms because if this can be permitted to small segments of society, then it can be done to yet larger segments. To begin it in the first place is a step towards fascism.

Executive order 14253, titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,” instructed the National Parks Service to strip signage locating historic sites of subjects such as the climate emergency, forced relocation of indigenous communities, and signage showing the sites of enslavement, are yet more signs of this.

Theres actions were at first indicators of a regime going further and further into a fascist fest. But a series of announcements last Thursday solidified the case that this dictatorial regime was going full on public fascist.

Smithsonian Pressured To Take Down DEI History Exhibit

Such was also the case being made by Third Act DMV at the Smithsonian, where there is a plan afoot to remove historic proof of the nation’s unarguable history from public display. The exhibit in question is the history of a fledgling nation at its roots which began as an idealized concept in the thinking of its founders.

A visit to the National Museum of American History for some first hand observations revealed many plain truths. An inquiry with a volunteer at the information desk revealed they had no idea about the national news story about the exhibit under review. Most of the museum is completely straightforward from historical, sociological, and technological standpoints.

The museum maintains a first floor display of the development of the steam engine and the conversion of water motion to mechanical energy used to mill grain in the nation’s early agrarian society. A series of white, bearded old men are all credited with these scientific advances, but there is no mention of the workers in the fields and foundries who actually built these machines which propelled progress. Thomas Edison is heralded as the inventor of the lightbulb and the father of the electric grid, of which he had no idea how it would change the country and the world.

There’s a display about the value of money and a comparison of currencies. The John Bull steam locomotive sits on a segment of tracks as it has for decades. Other exhibits show an early bike, Maya Angelo’s electric typewriter from 1980, an early iPod from 2002, Julia Child’s kitchen, and many other artifacts showcasing innovations, inventions, and entrepreneurial spirit.

There’s a temperature controlled dark room where the original Stars and Stripes flag rests in protected custody. It is a flag of a nation once at war with Great Britain, the giant 40’ x 50’ flag which flew over Fort McHenry, the one that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. There’s nothing close to controversy about this artifact, although one could suppose the flag was raised over land taken from Indigenous people but that is another issue.

The staff guides at Smithsonian NMAH did not know where or what the controversial exhibit was but it wasn’t hard to figure it out.

On the second floor one finds an entrance to an exhibit titled “How Did We Become Us?” It is arguably the most important question raised in the museum or in any museum in the capital because it focuses on the basis of what it means to be an American.

At the exhibit entrance, an ancient wooden carving of the statue of Liberty stands on a pedestal behind a thick layer of glass. “Some of us were already here,” reads one placard beneath it with a hand-made flint, a nod to Indigenous people whose tribes occupied the land for 1000s of years before Whites landed at Plymouth Rock. “Some of us were brought here forcibly,” reads another with a set of 1840s metal shackles, acknowledging the enslavement of over 10 million. They helped make America what it is too, although they weren’t paid for it.

Just inside the exhibit a looped recording of many voices repeats, “How did we become the United States?” A series of screens depicts photographs of people of varying cultures and creeds from around the world. As one considers this farther inside, they find varying artifacts: a broken school bus window next to a school yearbook page showing a group of African American students displayed without explanation. There’s no placard to describe its purpose and perhaps there was no placard to begin with. But it begs a question as to why there is no placard on the particular individual display. Has it been removed. If so, why? All the other parts of the exhibit have placards.

A short review of the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. the Board of Education and its striking down of the 1896 Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson that “Separate but Equal” was the guidance for segregated schools, gives some light to that broken school bus window, the period it came to be broken, and why it is a part of the exhibit. It was a difficult part of American history that a removal of an exhibit cannot erase.

Behind another glass window there is a series of artifacts collected from the Arizona desert just North of Mexico, abandoned by desperate migrants seeking amnesty from oppressive economic or political or gang violence. A toothbrush, a shaving kit, lipstick, eyeshadow, a comb, and an empty plastic gallon jug are among these artifacts. They are part of what has made America what it is too. Millions came here without permission. They just showed up with wrinkled clothes and handbags, usually at the base of a pair of green woman’s feet. Are their histories to be revoked too?

The issue of white wash by removal is also playing out at U.S. National Parks as the newspeak policies attempt to eliminate the signage at parks across the country of the geolocations of some of the places depicted in the NMAH exhibit. A judge has ordered the signage restored but whether it has been done is unclear.

The Third Act DMV light show issues a warning at its end, “We must learn from history, especially from our mistakes.” It is evident that some here are ok with repeating the mistakes of history.

There was a late breaking report that signage would soon be posted outside the Smithsonian NMAH to warn visitors that some of the information inside was inaccurate. But the signs had not gone up as of Tuesday, July 28.

We will update this story if such signs are put up outside Smithsonian NMAH.

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Washington DC—She smoothes the wrinkles from a white cotton dress fitted over a headless mannequin. Then she rearranges the markers evenly on the banner while reading some of the messages left by visitors about her exhibit. Next to the dress are four empty chairs with placards reading, ‘education,’ ‘work,’ and ‘freedom.’ On the last chair are copies of her autobiography, a book she first published in Iran. It was translated into English and republished this year.

On the ground nearby lay several banners telling of the oppression 8.5 million women and girls are facing in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Theirs is a desperate plight resulting from the rise, the fall, and rise again of Taliban iron rule over Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. Taliban oppression was also the fate of Zahra Yagana, one of very few to escape the brutal cult. She has set up her exhibit at the Lincoln Memorial to tell her story and the story of millions of Afghan women suffering under gender apartheid.

Although it’s been 5 years since she escaped Herat, Afghanistan, Zahra Yagana cherishes her improbable freedom at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It has been a harsh and heartbreaking journey from her forced childhood marriage at 13 to her liberation and freedom in the U.S. now several decades later. Many women did not escape the wars fought there, and the oppression they faced consumed many women, children, and families. Yagana persevered and took risks many others were afraid to take, and she found helping hands willing to take risks on her behalf. Thinking back she says she is one of the lucky ones. For everyone like her, thousands of women and girls were left behind, their voices and lives all but extinguished under a black shroud of violence and abuse.

She pauses and consider her journey and her thoughts return to Afghanistan as a young girl too young for marriage and too young to give birth yet forced into marriage and childbirth with a man she did not know, had not ever spoken to, and how she became what was in essence his property. And though only now can she find moments to smile, the pain of her struggle shows on her face. She thinks about why she started her one-woman exhibit on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. She again straightens the magic markers as she considers the answers to questions about her journey. Some messages are written in Arabic and Farsi. One is written in Spanish; another in Korean. International tourists seem drawn to her to hear her story.

The women in her homeland presently have no right to work, are forbidden to attend school, own property or personal items, and cannot to go outside their homes without a male escort, usually their husbands. She runs her fingers through her long brown hair as a faint smile comes across her lips; for even such an sight act is forbidden in Afghanistan and public display of the lips, face, and hair are forbidden. Basic human rights afforded to women elsewhere have been stripped from Afghan women by the Taliban. They are not allowed to speak in public, to laugh, to earn a living, or leave their homes months at a time. They are not given any consideration for the legal guardianship of their own children, if there is a family dispute between in-laws. A woman’s voice is taboo. For all the beauty of a woman must be forever kept under a black cloth called a burka once a girl reaches age 9, or as in her case, is married, whether or not she agrees with the marriage. These are not rights a woman has any say in; they have no say in what their lives will be. And along with any of the few rights women once enjoyed before the Taliban took power for the second time in 2021, more rights are being stripped as new laws are passed down by the Taliban leaders. They are made both hidden figures and figureless under the black veil of the burka both in law and in culture.

Zahra Yagana wants the world to know about what is happening to the women of Afghanistan and by speaking about her harrowing journey, she is telling the story of what Afghan women are enduring. In her book, ‘Zan, The Woman They Tried To Silence,’ she describes her experience as a child bride to a man 14 years older than she. She writes the story of her loss to all her rights, few as they were, including the right to keep her own children, his physical and psychological abuse of her body and mind. Her forced control by his family as people she did not know, where cultural mores, rituals, and ignorance overlooked and condoned his abuses made her a nomad in her own land. But they also made her a nomadic thinker and she knew she would not yield her mind to succumb to negative thoughts over itself no matter what they did to her.

She writes of the abuse not only from her husband but also from his family, especially how his sisters, seeing him dominating her, also took part in the abuse. She wrote her autobiography not as much as a story about her although it is rich in the detail of what happened to her, she wrote it as a story of the women of Afghanistan, the Zan who dared to not be silenced.

On the bosom of the dress is written ’ZAN’ in giant black letters. It means woman in Persian, the main language of Iran. Zan has same meaning in Dari, the principal language of Afghanistan. Both countries have over 40 different languages with still more dialects and share many words, but it is this word in particular, spoken in most languages of both countries that taps a truly unrecognized and underestimated power—the power of the woman. All life flows from the woman. Life generates life through the woman, even the boys who grow up to be Taliban oppressors seem to have forgotten that.

As Iran borders Afghanistan along a jagged 972 km line and shares with Afghanistan many of the same words spoken there. But in Afghanistan, what is culturally considered a woman, is considered a child in Western countries. It is this basic conflict of culture between countries which gives rise to misogyny with human rights abuses and suffering on a massive scale still not appreciated in the Western world.

For Zahra, it is was age 13 when her parents agreed that a souter would marry her. Her mother permitted it while her father was indifferent about a 27 year old man asking them for permission to marry her. Once she moved in with his family it soon became a matter which she had no control over. As he failed to find work, he soon became a heroin addict. At that time, Afghanistan was producing more than 95% of the world’s opium. Poppies were the major crop produced with a lucrative yield on the black market and heroin in Afghanistan was both cheap and plentiful, although its use was looked down upon socially. What Afghanistan lacked in oil reserves and revenue as its neighbor Iran easily produced, it more than made up for in illicit heroin trade. Billions in opium revenue flowed through Afghanistan as if it were oil flowing straight from its fertile gardens, for the pink poppy crop easily grew in the fertile soil and the bright sunlight beaming in its fields and arid conditions for most of the year brought harvests unlike any other crop. All other crops were virtually supplanted by opium. It in turn subsumed the lives of many fallen captive to its addictive grip.

In her book she described the experiences of giving birth at too young an age and losing her first child at an early age because her body was not yet fully developed and then additionally by reason of poor birth-care. She later gave birth to two more children and was forced to take on work making bricks to support herself and her children because her husband became addicted. Soon she was able to find clerical work and learned to read and further educate herself. His jealousy of her wisdom, intelligence, and willpower often spilled into physical abuse. He took control over her earnings and used it for opium. His disposition worsened as he fell deeper into an opiate stupor.

“In our culture a girl must leave her father’s house in a white dress and leave her husband’s with a shroud.” — From the autobiography, Zan, The Woman They Tried to Silence.

One night he returned home late and set fire to her room while she and her children slept. She called out for help and the neighbors broke through the door to rescue her. She vowed never to return and sought a divorce with the local mullah, an act of ultimate indignation to his family. After many months and hearings, and hearing testimony, the mullah granted her divorce and she waived her rights to a dowery, thinking it would forever relinquish bonds between she and her husband’s family. But her in-laws tricked her into believing she could take her two children with her. At the last hearing when all the testimony had been considered and the mullah was to give his final consent to divorce, her husband’s family demanded the mullah give them custody of her children to restore their honor in the community because of the taboo of divorce. The mullah agreed to this last minute request. She as devastated. She lost her children to them. But in time she gained better work and more education and she continued to provide for their support and gave part of her earnings for their education and clothing. She eventually found out her children were not going to school and not being adequately clothed because her sister in law was taking the money for herself.

After some time as her now x-husband grew weaker and more sickly from opium, and his family suffered more misfortune as the result of his addiction. His family was unable to care for Zarah’s children and returned them to her. She rejoiced in them and provided them everything she could to help them succeed. She had by then become an independent woman and secretly sought passports to take them from Afghanistan to Isfahan, Iran. She only announced this at the last minute when arrangements were made for her to safely flee because she did not want anyone to find out and stop her.

“It seems that from the very beginning, a woman alone had no rights. Or perhaps no power? In this moment I cannot untangle the difference between lacking power and lacking rights.” — Zan, The Woman They Tried to Silence.

Three years passed and she became involved with advocacy and speaking publicly about women’s rights and opposing the accepted cultural norms that women should be treated less than second class citizens and even less than enslaved people. She grew restless in mind as her thoughts wandered towards a nomadic freedom and knew she could never be controlled ever again.

Zahra was both captive to her husband’s abuse and of the opium trade as well as a the ingrained culture of accepting female apartheid. She was also captive of her sister in law’s abuse as well as her mother’s abuse. She wants the world to know about these things and she wants Afghan women not to give up on themselves and to keep supporting each other so they too can find a chance to live with rights and in freedom they deserve. She believes this dark chapter of Afghanistan will not last forever. She leaves for the women of Aghanistan a message in Dari (video below).

“In the work environment and society, as in the family, the problem was not only men’s misogyny. Women themselves sometimes hurt each other, and instead of solidarity and support, they engaged in negative competition. Witnessing this treatment from women caused me even more suffering. However, I reminded myself that when women had only ever experienced oppression throughout history, it was difficult for them to be kind and supportive to each other.” — Zan, The Woman They Tried to Silence.

She does not speak much about her religion or her relationship with God but it is strong or she would not be here. She says that the Taliban do not represent Islam or any godly way of living but instead they operate like a cult. The resolve of the Afghan women runs like a wide river, silent and deep. It will outlast the Taliban but it is a guess as to when the Taliban will lose power and lose control of a society they can control only with Kalashnikovs and unyielding brutality. Their end is difficult to predict.

As the afternoon sun begins to set behind the Lincoln Memorial the shadows within grow dark on the marble man seated within. The crowds of tourists begin to wane. A group of Christian youth are drawn from the Lincoln Memorial they just visited to see the dress and ask Zahra about its significance. She speaks to them for a few moments and they listen intently about the story of a land and its people 6000 miles away. They huddle into a circle like a sports team planning an offense and then they pray together for the freedom of Afghan girls and women. A few write messages in support on the banner before them.

Zahra’s book is available online here.

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Washington DC—If the last 18 months have taught us anything about the United States, it feels much more divided than in living memory. There are obvious signs that this country’s democratic experiment is melting in its armored checks and balances. Its machinery is grinding and sounds like it’s breaking apart.

Many things are going wrong with the country and it is apparent to most every American what the effects are even if Americans cannot agree on the reasons for them. Americans have never completely agreed on anything unless in Congress they were voting to go to war.

For one, government leadership is focusing on building its own wealth and power while cutting the American workforce out of the windfalls of its own labor. It is permitting the conglomeration of most media and entertainment companies with slanted points of view, eliminating any views contrary to it. Oddball on and off tariff policies, disparaging judicial rulings against its policies, attacking political rivals with unjust charges, starting another unjustified forever-war in the Middle East, are some of the indicators of a government gone amok from its “for the people and by the people” charter. Its attacks against one of the America’s most vital sources of progress and productivity—its immigrant population—are but a few of the factors taking the U.S. from a leader and beacon of democracy, to a diminished country feared and reviled by much of the rest of the Western world.

The country began preparing for its semiquincentennial over 10 years ago with a congressional allocation of funding for its 250th year National State Fair and performances. ‘America 250’ was envisioned as a non-partisan event but the administration took over and reorganized the venue into ‘Freedom 250’ and politicized it. This resulted in many of the top performers and some States to back out of the event entirely. Currently there are suspicions of wire fraud due to misleading information about who was organizing the event.

So many have stayed away from the National State Fair on the National Mall because of the obvious politicizing of the celebrations. And no, it is not mainly because of the heat because there have been plenty of past birthday celebrations in DC when the heat was oppressive. The National Guard, police marshal DC as if it were a renegade province. It is not. Flock AI cameras surveil the citizens as if they are criminals. They are not. Multiple arrests of people at the Reflecting Pool on bogus charges for vandalism are oppressive too. DC resembles a police occupied territory with armed National Guardsmen walking in peaceful neighborhoods, patrolling in metro train stations, and surveilling the National Mall.

But one thing good is coming about in all of this, despite the alarm, anxiety, and divisiveness it has caused. It is that as more and more realize what of the republic is being stripped of its protections and the people from their rights, more pay attention and engage in their local governments to reclaim and build the just communities and economic opportunities they want for their futures. People are seeing fallacy in ‘trickle down economics’ as making the wealthy ever more so, and the powerful more entrenched. They are realizing that democracy is not a spectator endeavor and it involves much more than voting and then turning away to let the democratic machine run by itself. The machinery of democracy, clanky as it is even in the best of times, has to be oiled and parts need to be replaced from time to time.

To be democratic is contentious and difficult and it takes more energy and effort and going to great lengths to hear other points of view. This is not easy for entrenched power because it means hearing a range of opinions from a diversity of different people. Diversity is what made this country change over time from a culture built to protect white land owners to a civilization protecting the rights of other groups.

What would the founders say today if on its 250th birthday, they looked at a cross section of the country today? Among the technology progress, computer society, missions to space, rapid commerce, and improved standards of living, they would see rights afforded to women and minorities, which in their time were not imagined. They would see that there are no enslaved people. But they would also realize the last year and a half has been a series of giant steps backwards as the Supreme Court unbalanced their vision of three co-equal branches of government with rulings of near unlimited power to the president.

The demographic experiment the founders envisioned, carried the seeds of its own destruction. It has been a rough ride through a Civil War, Civil Rights, economic collapses, and strife in the streets for equality.

And how do the people of DC-MD-VA area feel about the state of their country on this 4th of July? We asked them to tell us their thoughts about what this day means to them. This is what they said:

John—Former DC Resident, Current Maryland Resident (Last Name withheld at request)

“The American people are more than our government. While I am disgusted with the actions of the Trump administration, I am also inspired by the nationwide resistance we’ve seen in this dark time. This resistance embodies the spirit of the American revolution far more than those in office could ever hope to.

”The Fourth of July to me is a celebration of the American people who continue to fight for a country which lives up to the true spirit of its creed. One where all people are created equal.”

Eric Lotke, Author of ‘Union Made’ Resident of Virginia

“On July 4 I think back to our foundational phrases. “We the people.” “E pluribus unum (out of many, one).” “All created Equal.” It’s unfortunate when those who profit from division outperform those who bring us together. “We must all hang together or we will surely hang separately.”

Susan Douglas, Local Activist 

“In past years, the 4th of July has been a day of celebrating our fabulous, albeit somewhat flawed, democracy while recognizing the need to improve on some of those imperfections as we grow.

“In 2025, I was appalled to see where our country was headed, and I went down to the Mall in DC to hear a reading of the Declaration of Independence. It felt good to be grounded in that seminal work and the promise it holds for our nation. The day felt more somber than celebratory.

“This year, our nation is on the precipice of rejecting the very democracy upon which we were founded. I cannot celebrate as we watch our freedoms being stripped away. The greed, lies, corruption, and cruelty that surround us are nothing to be proud of. The arrogance of our leaders is shameful. Instead, we must stand together and claim that We the People reject authoritarianism. What we can celebrate is the courage and determination we bring to this fight to keep democracy alive and to reject tyranny.

“On this 250th anniversary of our independence, over 250 individuals representing the We the People Coalition, carried a huge 700-foot-long banner of the Preamble to the Constitution, with tens of thousands of signatures by fellow Americans, through the streets of DC. The extreme heat did not deter us as we walked through the street chanting “Love, not hate, makes America great.” We finished up at the National Archives, where the original Constitution is stored.

“We must never forget the struggles we overcame 250 years ago to create this nation. Together, we will work hard to keep our democracy alive. We have the power, we have the will, we have the courage, and We the People will prevail.”

Lisa Finn, Organizer, Third Act-DMV

“I am proud to be an American and love being part of this democracy experiment. Happy 250th! On this really hot day, July 4, I participated in a We the People march in DC to make sure that people understand we are all American and we cannot let people forget that what is happening right now is not normal.”

AK, (Initials given only)

“It is very hard to celebrate the Land of the Free when people are imprisoned in a detention center without working AC or access to fresh water at FarmVille Detention Center, per the Free them All Coalition. Can we really consider ourselves the Home of the Brave when most people are unwilling to speak out against the massive human rights’ violations at home and abroad that we are a part of?

AK provides this link for readers to help those persons imprisoned here.

.Iron Snowflake, Activist, Location withheld

“Uprising of local invading settlers against their original masters. A “merchant’s democracy” established. Imagine Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon being the three biggest voting blocs in Congress.

”Only white property owning men were allowed to vote, slavery legal in half the country, and the infamous “3/5th” compromise on how to count enslaved workers in the census.

“Also the reality that Indigenous people quickly found the US to be so much more dangerous than the British that many (notably Tecumseh) had to ally w the British in 1812.

“On the other hand, a perfect day for blowing up Flock cameras with fireworks. The noise however makes this a terrifying day for many companion animals.

“Also note that the settler’s war of independence and 1812 were both complicated by war between England and France.

”The French Revolution not 1776 was the one to celebrate.

“’Guillotines not fireworks’ maybe?”

Marty Willis, Voting Retiree, Virginia 

“Now that our nation is 250 years old, let’s not forget the whole idea of America was to escape the tyranny of a king. We will never accept the hostile, authoritarian, anti-democratic policies of the current Trump regime. That stance is non-negotiable. As Americans, we must now fight to put our country back on the right side of history.

“It is an inspiration to be out on the streets in 2025 and 2026 fighting for decency and democracy with truly patriotic sisters and brothers. Let’s all keep supporting each other in this journey until we regain the real America we know and love. Moreover, the whole planet will wildly benefit if we prevail in this struggle against corruption, deceit, greed and oppression. And prevail, we must.”

Marcos (Last name withheld)

“The 4th of July is always a day for remembering and celebrating how our nation was born. The vision and planning of remarkable people made the idea of having our own country possible. The sacrifice of many other citizens secured the reality of our nation. This 250th anniversary reminds me of how precarious our Democracy can be. We must continue to be committed to the principles our founding fathers set out and hold our politicians accountable for their actions. We must leave no room for Fascism and authoritarianism in our government. On this day, I am concerned that the corruption of this administration will be normalized if they are not held accountable and punished. We the people need to shine a light on the profiteering, circumventing of separation of powers, use of government agencies to punish personal enemies and reward supporters, and the destruction of agencies and laws that protect the public so businesses and the wealthy can enrich themselves. We must vote and support candidates that will make a difference while working to strengthen the ideals our country was founded with.”

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Washington DC—A cheering team calling itself the “Team Algae” put on green costumes and brought their green signs, snark, jokes, and plenty of trolling to the edge of the Reflecting Pool on Sunday. One wore a pink frog costume with “Amphita,” a one-two jab combination of Amphian and Antifa. Their antics were a major troll to Trump’s flag-blue paint job which despite nearly $16 million in contracts, has turned it from green to blue and back to green again.

Their antics were the crowning achievement of jovial laughter within the resistance movement which is finding itself overwhelmed with daily crisis created by the White House and its enabler billionaires. The Iran War, War in the Caribbean, War on Migrants and green card holders, the economic crisis everyone is struggling through, and efforts to rebrand Washington DC with Trump’s name and image, are but a few among the many distractions compounding difficulties for the resistance movement.

Team Algae enjoined onlookers with silly chants like, “Give me an A!’ Give me a L! … Give me an E! What’s that spell?” “Algae!,” the crowd chanted back. They blew bubbles to mock the ozone nano-bubble treatment that was still being pumped into the green pool. Then Team Algae performed skits that referenced certain qualities that algae has that are lacking in others like perseverance, surviving many attempts at its life, and standing up to Trump and his no bid contractors. One of the jokesters praised the algae for staying there in the pool and prayed for its survival.

Their chants were meant to personify the algae in the pool as a resistance fighter “standing up to Trump, fighting fascism, and beating him at it,” as effectively as no other resistance campaign had so far been able to do.

They gave the crowd what it needed but hadn’t expected: a Reflecting Pool show with jokes and laughter in a time of tension and anxiety. Dozens took video and begged Team Algae for selfies. Tourists lined up laughing and cajoling the green team. Many thanked them for being there.

One of the team members dressed as a pink frog carrying a banner reading “First they cane for the Algae” and on the reverse side it read “Team Algae.” The reference is to the famous Martin Niemöller quote “First they came for the communists…” Belying the serious sentiment of the quote while casting it in a comedic manner showed in a way how much of a divide there can be in trolling authoritarians while being respectful of the seriousness of the pain of victims. For there is a marked difference in how authoritarians see themselves as opposed to how those they oppress view them. And that Team Algae rephrased the quote that way both made light of the situation the U.S. sees itself while recognizing that the U.S. may not survive as a republic much longer…unless resistance fighters like algae step into the breach. They were there to honor their algae ally.

There were plenty of media news crews queuing to interview them. Chanels 7 and 10 were summoned to the Reflecting Pool to take video for their evening newscasts. Several independent media streamers also caught onto their messages which had spread all across social media in the hours they were there. One from the UK also interviewed them.

No surprisingly there were about ten federal law enforcement officers shadowing the small group of three jokesters and about ten National Guard Soldiers staked out following them as well as they slowly made their way around the Reflecting Pool, cracking jokes and performing ad hoc skits. That’s about a 7:1 ratio of enforcement to citizens having some fun at the expense of an authoritarian regime. (Video depicts this below)

There was one person arrested Saturday for an unrelated incident. for allegedly reaching into the water and touching the peeling paint. According to a published report, David Hearn, a former Olympian, was charged with misdemeanor destruction of government property. He said he touched the blue peeling paint out of his curiosity to observe it more closely and that he “did not vandalize anything,” according to the report in Raw Story.

Still, the incident highlights how sensitive this self-created issue is for the White House. Placing many National Guard troops purportedly to fight crime in the city is one thing. Guarding a green Reflecting Pool with Federal agents and National Guardsmen numbering over 20 brings the sensitivity index to another level entirely.

Trump has claimed the Reflecting Pool’s peeling paint saga is the result of vandalism. But earlier attempts to kill the algae bloom with concentrated hydrogen peroxide, combined with improper cleaning and sealing the granite basin before the blue paint was sprayed into the basin is more likely the result of the peeling paint, not the result of vandalism. The algae bloom was the result of missing several critical steps in water purification as we reported earlier this weekend.

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Washington DC—“ It’s not easy being green,” so said Kermit the Frog when things weren’t going quite right for the little green guy. And things are really going off the rails at the Reflecting Pool. Attempts to paint the Reflecting Pool with flag-blue for the nation’s 250th birthday have turned into a big beautiful green glop. Just weeks after the project was completed to impress visiting over 100 chiefs of state for the July 4th celebrations, the end result of this $14,700,00.00 paint job has gone back to the ducks. And maybe by now there’s a frog or two taking up residence.

As of Friday afternoon the entire floor of the reflecting pool looked like it was covered with a layer of pea-green soup with a couple of ducks swimming in it—that’s mallard ducks—not Canadian Geese. Canadian Geese prefer the Potomac River for the species of grass they eat and for building nests. They are herbivores but also eat insects, seeds as well as small crustaceans. The Potomac is their preferred swimming hole. But that’s still no consolation for the green to blue and back to green Reflecting Pool.

A group of U.S. National Park Police (NPS) were at the Reflecting Pool side and answered several questions about the water cleanup underway. An officer at the said they were there “to protect” the Reflecting Pool as several dozen maintenance persons were setting up hoses, generators, and other equipment that was “pumping ozone” from two sides into its center.

Newly hatched ducklings were swimming around the white bubble mix of ozone streams and it appeared they may be harming themselves. But the NPS person assured, “it was not toxic” to the ducklings or any other wildlife.

The pumping systems were loudly running at full speed and surrounded by metal fencing to keep curiosity seekers from getting too close. The “ozone nano-bubbling” project was no-bid contract awarded to Green Water Solutions for $1.7 million. This brings the Reflecting Pool boondoggle project so far to $16.4 million for peeling paint and green water.

There were scores out photographing the bottom of the Reflecting Pool, gawking at the sight, and wondering how and why it had changed so quickly from “Flag Blue” back to swampy green. It bore no resemblance to anything near the deep blue painted in the basin two weeks ago.

Many were cynically enjoying the great green blob of algae gobbling up Trump’s latest vanity project, taking pictures, joking, and smirking about it. One man said, “Yes, I love green on my flag for the 4th of July.” The green goo was almost like a second Trump smack down after a U.S. District Court Judge ordered him to take his name off the Kennedy Center last Sunday at midnight.

Why The Reflecting Pool Algae Grew So Fast

Get ready for some science. Because science is behind all of what happened to the Reflecting Pool and Mother Nature holds all the cards. Had the principles in this great green calamity consulted scientists at say, NASA or NOAA or even some biologists at the CDC for example, they may have avoided this green gooey embarrassment. But DOGE fired many top scientists or forced them into early outs during their government takedown in February 2025 and apparently did not consult scientists capable of advising them what steps to take to prevent this.

The culprit turns out to be a green algae bloom known as Desmodesmus. It grew rapidly as a result of residual algae and the rapid filling of the basin with DC water containing phosphate, a fertilizer that algae just loves, especially when exposed to ample sunlight and warm weather.

According to a water purification scientist who goes by the handle “Buttons” on Bluesky, the blue-green algae is a form of cyanobacteria which could be feeding off phosphates already in the water. One atom of phosphorus combined with four atoms of oxygen makes the basis of phosphates. Phosphates are used in many products we use everyday. Some uses are in toothpaste, detergent, fertilizer for agriculture, medicine, as well as lead remover from water. They are responsible for life as we know it.

According to the scientist, DC water is being treated with orthophosphate to remove the lead leaching into tap water from the old pipes, some of which are over 100 years old and still waiting to be replaced. While this removes the lead, it leaves behind the phosphates which turn out to be a fertilizer for algae growth.

What happened when the National Park Service filled up the Reflecting Pool was this: they used DC water containing a high enough concentration of phosphates to stimulate a sudden blue green algae bloom of the species known as Desmodesmus. This species is not toxic, but other toxic species can take over the pool as conditions change, according to the scientist.

To remove the algae, the contractor used peroxide and this worked for a time, killing the algae. But it released the phosphates bound up inside the cells of the algae, compounding the problem. What should have been done is applying a phosphate removal coagulant prior to filling the pool. These coagulants are made with either aluminum or iron based compounds. These compounds bind chemically to the phosphates without any toxic byproduct, and yield a precipitate, which sinks in water and can be filtered out of it before the water is released into the pool.

This step would have been needed before filling the pool. None of the steps of phosphate removal or algae treatment were completed before filling the Reflecting Pool. There would conceivably be even more steps to continuously filter and treat the 6.9 million gallons of water in the pool to keep at bay any new algae sources such as wildlife (ducks), dust, leaves, and insects. Algae blooms are common in untreated swimming pools and the Reflecting Pool is no different and especially in this case it would be easy to reintroduce more green colored cyanobacteria to the Reflecting Pool just from wind, dust, and wildlife.

Presently there is evidently yet another issue with paint peeling and that is being removed as well, leaving portions if not large gaps bare and they will need to be replaced at some point. The problem is that the pool is already filled with the 6.9 gallons of phosphate laden DC water.

The entire Reflecting Pool fiasco is a sort of metaphor for how the government principles have operated since last January—strike first—deny culpability—blame someone else—ask questions later. In this most recent episode they have given Kermit’s quote, “ It’s not easy being green,” frog’s wings.

This fiasco is far from over and the green is certain to return. The spectacle is so publicly prominent it will be impossible for anyone to hide or cover it up as they have done to files held in databases at the Department of Justice or court-ordered removal of letters hidden behind tarps or unpublished war-plans of a skirmish gone awry. It is also certain to inspire green memes and jokes aplenty.

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Washington DC—The Institute for Primary Facts began its weeklong opening of the Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room on Monday, June 8. The display opened to the public on Tuesday, June 9, after an exclusive day for media coverage. The display will continue traveling to other cities and towns throughout the U.S. after this week, unless the DC display is extended.

Visitors queued to observe the display of 3437 volumes containing 3.5 million records but were not permitted to view or read the records because the Department of Justice (DoJ) had not fully redacted victim’s personal information and names. The embargoed documents were visible on the bookcase shelves but crowd control barriers kept viewers from accessing the volumes.

The documents that have been released so far are available on the DoJ website for those over 18. A DoJ website warning banner advises viewers that the content is disturbing, “Some of the library’s contents include descriptions of sexual assault. As such, please be advised that certain portions of this library may not be appropriate for all readers.”

The site also advises users they can contact the DoJ if they find personally identifiable information or the names of persons that should not be public and gives an email for removal requests. However, names of victims already released cannot be undone. Their electronic publication will remain somewhere on the internet indefinitely. It is this issue of a lack of due-diligence on the part of the DoJ, as well as the ongoing coverup, denials by top government officials of their involvement, the victimization of what is thought to be over 1000 youths, and the gaslighting of the victims of a decade’s long criminal conspiracy, that has led groups like the Institute for Primary Facts to get involved.

The display is part of a growing wave of advocacy and volunteer groups coming together to expose a vast criminal conspiracy linking many powerful and influential figures, changing a culture of victim blaming, and creating safe spaces for victims to reclaim their agency.

The DoJ was required to release redacted files within 30 days under Public Law 119-38 known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act (passed November 19, 2025) but the DoJ was late with the release. Many reports of investigation were completely blacked out. Names of some victims were released. More files are pending release according to the DoJ website, which reads, “This site will be updated if additional documents are identified for release.”

The DoJ has not released the entire trove of documents, which it admitted in January was thought to be 6 million more pages of documents, flight logs, police reports, and photographs. Then, in February of 2026, then Attorney General Pat Bondi said all the documents had been released.

A search of the DoJ database returned 5363 pages of entries with the name “Trump” appearing in multiple documents per dataset. A search of the name “Maxwell” returned 23,565 results with the name “G Maxwell” appearing in multiple documents per dataset. The names of many other well-known persons in government positions and of celebrities also appear in the released files. Ghislaine Maxwell is the only key person convicted and sentenced in the U.S. for having a role in this case. None of the other persons named in the files have been indicted or have been convicted of any crimes related to their association with Epstein or Maxwell.

Some of the files contain spreadsheets of financial transactions between Maxwell and Epstein showing transfers of hundreds of millions of dollars. Many of the financial details are partially redacted. Others contain photographs which have been previously published with victims’ faces blacked out.

The Library of Shattered Dreams

Visitors were given a brief introduction of the library and permitted to take photographs and video but advised to respect the privacy and anonymity of other visitors. The 3437 volumes took up most of the first floor of the two-storied display but were nowhere near the number of potential volumes there could have been. A curator at the library who did not give their name, said the volumes were embargoed because the Department of Justice failed to redact all the names of victims from all the records and the exhibit was specifically not intended to do further harm.

Along the first wall of the exhibit is a series of inset bookcase of black and white volumes roped off from access. Within the volumes, whole reports with the names of the alleged perpetrators in details of investigations were blackened out to protect them from scrutiny.

On the opposite wall of the first floor is a timeline of major incidents of a fraction of the events in the Epstein conspiracy. Major milestones are chronologically mapped on the wall. Laid out along some 40 feet of wall, viewers begin to grasp how sweeping in both scope and time this conspiracy was.

As one ascends the stairs to the second floor, leading to the second part of the display, the landing balcony displays six oil chalk pastel paintings by Maria Farmer.

Maria Farmer, a victim who has gone public, loaned her series of oil-based chalk paintings to the exhibit. She drew them to help her come to terms with the nightmare she endured at the hands of Epstein. The oil chalk paintings depict some of the known principles involved in the Epstein case,

Farmer is one of the earlier victims of Epstein and Maxwell and has filed a suit against the U.S. government for failing to act on her earlier complaint to the FBI of Epstein and Maxwell’s 1996 assault on her. She is believed to be the first one to expose to the FBI any of the lurid details of the Epstein and Maxwell scandal.

The pastel art includes six 3’x4’ scenes. Among them is one titled “The Star” depicting Virginia Guthrie rising through a yellow star into the night sky over “pedowood” (Hollywood). She features in a golden dress with the subtitle, “The Child/Movie-star Stolen.” She appears almost as a deity released from her struggle, self assured, with expressions neither smiling nor dejected, neither happy nor sad, and rising towards the heavens. Virginia Guthrie, took her own life in 2024.

Another of the pastels titled “La Lune,” (The Moon) shows Ghislaine Maxwell bound in handcuffs and encapsulated under the ocean in a one-windowed tube resembling a small submarine. A great white shark is speeding towards and about to prey on her. The shark’s side reads “Florida Prison.” Other images and items leave clues as to the involvement of Maxwell in the conspiracy.

Maxwell was convicted on June 28, 2022 for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually exploit and abuse young girls. She was sentenced to 240 months. However on August 1, 2025, just 3 years into her sentence, after being questioned in prison for two days by Todd Blanche (then working as an attorney at the DoJ), she was quietly moved by the Bureau of Prisons to Texas where she was given much less strict conditions of confinement.

Another pastel depicts Alan Dershowitz, as “Le Diable” (The Devil), standing on a perch, half lizard, half human, dressed in an attorney’s suit, bloodied hands, and tossing a young girl into the depths. An attorney, Dershowitz helped negotiate Epstein’s reduced sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution during his Florida State 2008 trial. Dershowitz also negotiated a controversial agreement with the DoJ, which suppressed federal charges against Epstein. The end agreement enabled a controversial plea deal in which he was sentenced to 18 months of jail-work release. He served just over 1 year, was released, and he continued his association with Ghislaine Maxwell. None of the victims were consulted before the plea deal was arranged and announced.

On the second floor library visitors were greeted by hundreds of candles lit in memory of the victims in the Epstein conspiracy. A semi-visible slide show was projected onto a ruffled curtain with images too opaque to identify.

Visitors were provided an opportunity to write their thoughts on 4”x6” vintage library cards. They pinned their comments to the far wall, a place where hundreds of cards were left by others who came before them. Some stood silently reading the cards while others stood contemplating the evidence beneath and before them.

One could see a sense of public anger and of rage in the cards on the second floor as visitors paused to write their thoughts about the Trump-Epstein Memorial Reading Room. Many cursed Epstein and Trump while raising up the spirit of the victims.

It was clear in that exhibit deeply struck those who visited it. Something—many things—had gone terribly wrong with the length and breath of injury perpetrated against so many youth. The visual imagery and the effects of the volumes of information about what may turn out to be the nation’s biggest criminal conspiracies, has cast light on the stunning lack of account held against those responsible, and helped expose its long coverup within a broken justice system.

The Institute for Primary Facts stressed the library display is designed to keep pressure on those involved in the crimes and the conspiracy to cover it up, and to bring justice for the victims, thought to number well over 1000. It being primarily for the victims.

The Institute for Primary Facts notes on its website that the main focus is for seeking justice for the victims, but it is itself a small part in a larger effort by many individuals and organizations. “We are just one piece of a much larger movement. Across the country, organizers and advocates are working every day to support survivors of sexual assault — and to change the laws, systems, and culture that let this violence continue,” it published on its website.

The 17,000 pounds of books will travel “From New York to Washington, DC and after DC, onto a truck for LA, Chicago, San Francisco, and beyond. Every city where the cover-up has friends,” according to the Institute For Primary Facts website.

Sources: Public Law 119-38, Epstein File Release Act 2025.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4405

Institute For Primary Facts website: registration for DC Exhibit “The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room.”

https://primary-facts.org/

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Arlington, VA—Organizers from the Third Act Virginia Chapter and several Veterans displayed banners and erected a giant Triumphal Arch replica next to the Lincoln Memorial over Memorial Day weekend. It’s purpose was to demonstrate plans to build a giant arch, which they say is posing as a memorial for the 250th anniversary, but is actually intended to honor Trump himself. They also erected banners reading “86 Trump’s Arch” and “Arch Insanity.”

Last Thursday, May 21, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, the committee that Trump himself appointed, approved the 250 foot arch, despite significant public pushback. The arch would overpower all of the 400,000 tombstones at Arlington National Cemetery, diminish the sanctity of its grounds, reduce its solemn purpose, and it would be visible from miles around. The arch would block or permanently occlude the view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House, the memorial to Robert E. Lee, and by design interrupt the symbolic meaning of the main Civil War protagonist and antagonist, and their subsequent reconciliation. It would also overshadow the Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial, as well as the Arlington Bell tower which are located at the western side of Arlington National Cemetery. Only the tallest contrail of the U.S. Air Force Memorial would be higher, rising 20 feet higher than the projected arch.

At 250 feet from its base—not including the height of any pedestal it may rest upon, if any should result in the final design—it would be equivalent to the height of a 25 story building or higher, and intrude into the National Airport flight path. This would require a certain technical review and approval from the FAA.

But the short period between the announcement of the arch on October 15, 2025, and its rapid turnaround approval has stirred the ire of Veterans who showed up for the permitted demonstration. The demonstrators had planned to stage their protest in Memorial Circle itself, the site of the Triumphal Arch, but their plans were preempted by approval given from U.S. National Park Service to the architecture firm contracted to survey the site a few weeks before. Therefore Third Act-Virginia applied for their permit to demonstrate across from the Lincoln Memorial near the waterfall steps. Third Act had made public its plans to hold a demonstration at Memorial Circle, so one is left wondering if the permit given to the architectural firm was also intended to gaslight the message of opponents.

The direct action group is labeling the arch a “vanity project” for Trump because he said to the press on October 15, 2025, during a fundraiser in the Oval Office that the arch was being built in his own honor while showcasing a white scaled replica of the towering block. When asked by a member of the press who the arch was honoring, he said “Me. Going to be beautiful.”

Third Act-Virginia Mobilizes Against Arch

On Sunday morning, just as an all week rain was tapering, Third Act-Virginia began setting up their banners and replica arch to greet the Rolling Remembrance motorcycle rally later on that day. They also had plans to greet, not too warmly, Trump’s motorcade, which was scheduled to pass their side of the Lincoln Memorial on its way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

But with any project there is always a snag. Once the replica arch was raised, someone noticed the apostrophe was misplaced after Trump’s name, so the team had to lower their arch for a moment to place the apostrophe correctly. The second time was the charm. The arch took a team of eight to raise it. The hanging banner reading, “86 Trump’s Arch,” would stand for about 2 days. Not only did the one dimensional replica mock the planned arch, it wad also a dig at his Department of Justice’s prosecution of a failed case against former FBI Director James Comey, who shared a photo of seashells spelling out “86 46.”

Later that day a group of demonstrators walked across Memorial Bridge to Memorial Circle in a silent dance to show their indignation for the arch. Other carried signs and many wore placards on their backs reading “

Among the Veterans who were there was Bob Fasick, a Marine Corps radar technician who served on Okinawa during the Vietnam War. As a young Marine, he supported the Marines deploying and returning from their combat duty. Fasick recounted his experiences during the Vietnam War, and felt especially connected to Arlington National Cemetery and all of the honor it represents. He felt that the arch was a “disgusting “use of taxpayer money at a time when many Americans are struggling financially. He also described the Arch as an affront to the service members interred at Arlington National Cemetery. He could recite by memory the heights of significant memorials as well as the number of interred service members for each war.

“The arch encapsulates just about everything that has gone wrong with the Trump regime,” said Fasick. “It’s corrupt in terms of the laws it is breaking. Procedures are supposed to be followed. The Commission for Fine Arts [members] were all appointed by Trump and they’re doing just what Trump wants,” he said.

Fasick pointed out that it would be “a ridiculous expense, our tax money. We can’t feed our people. We can’t house our people. We cannot provide decent education for many kids.”

Fasick noted that over 100,000 Veterans who fought and died during WWII were interred at Arlington National Cemetery. “What was that war about?” he asked rhetorically. “Fighting fascism. We’ve got fascism here now in the United States. [Trump] has absolute control because nobody is standing up and using their authority.”

An organizer from Third Act-Virginia, Susan Douglas, who helped plan and build some of the banners and illuminated signage, using her own money was technical in her assessment of the arch. She pointed out concerns with the project that was rushed into approval before critical studies were completed.

“It’s going to be a traffic nightmare. The soil is not conducive to the monstrous arch they’re building and the FAA has serious concerns [about its] complicated flight pattern in this area.” Douglas reiterated the insult it would be to Veterans and their families, a common concern with many who were involved in the demonstration.

Virtually lost to everyone there was the fact that Memorial Circle, which actually sits on an elongated island, is surrounded by the Potomac to its the North flank and the Boundary Channel at its south flank. The island was previously dedicated as a nature preserve in honor of the environment by President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. At the east end of the circle is a fading green bronze plaque, commemorating the dedication of Dogwood and Daffodil Plantings that were placed there in 1968, some 57 years ago.

It reads, “The Dogwood and Daffodil plantings on this island are dedicated to President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson who challenged America to make more beautiful the environment of its citizens.”

Just a stone’s throw from the Memorial Bridge are three dogwoods clustered together remaining of that planting. Further down a single dogwood remains by itself, the last of the trees. The daffodil garden still remains and already bloomed in the early Spring. The Triumphal Arch construction would erase all that too.

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