A Washington DC resident arrested near the National Mall's reflecting pool this week vows to challenge the federal charge against him, even as the Trump administration continues to deflect blame for the landmark's deteriorating condition onto vandals rather than renovation contractors.
Christian Miles, a freelance video editor and former Navy submariner, was taken into custody Monday after confronting Oklahoma state troopers stationed at the pool. He was charged with violating a federal obscenity statute that prohibits disorderly conduct involving obscene language, physical threats, or gestures likely to incite a breach of peace.
The $14.2 million renovation project, which transformed the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial into what the administration billed as an "American flag" blue ahead of the nation's 250th birthday next month, has been plagued by algae blooms and peeling polyurethane liner. Trump claimed without evidence this week that vandals had slashed the pool with knives, citing six arrests he said resulted from damage to the landmark.
Miles told the Guardian that the actual charges filed against arrested individuals have not included property damage allegations. His own case centers solely on his verbal confrontation with the Oklahoma troopers.
Over the past ten months, Miles has made a self-described project of documenting what he calls "the creeping police state" by filming himself directly challenging federal troops and officers stationed throughout Washington DC. He typically posts edited versions of these encounters to YouTube, creating a record of his interactions with law enforcement.
One trooper involved in Miles' arrest made a striking comment before the situation escalated. According to Miles, the officer noted that America's freedom was evident precisely because Miles could film without interference, contrasting this with hypothetical repression in other nations. Seven minutes later, Miles says, he was arrested for the language he used while protesting the security presence at the reflecting pool.
Miles plans to contest the administrative charge under Section 2.34(a)(2) of the Code of Federal Regulations. He highlighted the irony that a trooper had just finished explaining American freedoms moments before his arrest for exercising that freedom of speech.
The deteriorating condition of the reflecting pool has become a flashpoint as the administration seeks to blame external sabotage rather than the renovation work itself. With the pool's problems mounting, the narrative clash intensifies between official claims of vandalism and the visible reality of ongoing degradation at one of the nation's most iconic sites.
Author James Rodriguez: "The reflecting pool debacle keeps getting stranger, and now we're arresting people for talking loudly about it."
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