Lincoln Memorial seen covered in graffiti, Washington Monument blanketed in smoke as protests rage across D.C.
Numerous Washington, D.C. landmarks were vandalized on the third night of protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis while in police custody.
The public outrage, violent protests, and looting of local businesses were sparked after now-arrested police officer Derek Chauvin was seen kneeling on Floyd's neck while he lay on the ground face-down in handcuffs for eight minutes straight till he passed out and ultimately died on May 25. Although the protests began as peaceful demonstrations of 'Black Lives Matter' groups, it soon took a different course on May 27 and has since spread to several US. states, including the country's capital.
The National Park Service (NPS) posted photos on Twitter that showed monuments including the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial and the statue of Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski in Freedom Plaza covered in graffiti. "In the wake of last night's demonstrations, there are numerous instances of vandalism to sites around the National Mall. For generations the Mall has been our nation’s premier civic gathering space for non-violent demonstrations, and we ask individuals to carry on that tradition," NPS said in a tweet.
You can see the photos by clicking here.
Apart from this, aerial footage of the area taken by a number of media helicopters around the White House showed the Washington Monument engulfed by smoke as fires raged in several places around the landmark. Monuments were not only destroyed or defaced in D.C. A Confederate monument in Birmingham, Alabama was destroyed. Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia, was also targeted as protesters put a noose around Jefferson Davis statue's neck and every confederate monument was sprayed with some form of graffiti or the other.
We had previously reported that Floyd protest riots continue to spread across the US, looters are breaking into stores and stealing whatever they can get their hands on. During one such Black Lives Matter protest, underway in SoHo, Manhattan, miscreants were seen breaking glasses of high-end stores and boutiques and grabbing boxes of clothes, shoes and accessories while being chased down by the cops.
Several videos depicting the same are widely circulating on the internet with many expressing concern over their safety as the protest is spreading like wildfire with the situation only getting worse each passing hour. The stores that are being vandalized by the looters include luxury brands such as Rolex, Gucci and Apple among many others. People are seen rushing out of broken windows with a handful of bags and jumping onto the vehicles waiting outside before getting arrested by the cops, who are constantly patrolling the region.
A few have said the stores deserved to be broken into and have their content dragged to the streets, owing to their treatment of black people and a leaning towards the wealthy class. One tweet read, "Soho area of Manhattan, New York known as a favorite spot of the U.S. wealthy elite has been liberated by protesters who have raided multiple high-end stores, including a Versace and a Chanel.”
“Y’all really mad Gucci and Prada are getting looted in SoHo. They spit in Black people’s face on the regular. They laugh at us and make money off us. They are part of the problem,” a furious internet user wrote.