As protests decrying police brutality continue in Washington D.C., an image of National Guard Soldiers outside the Lincoln Memorial has enraged many people online.
As protestors gathered at the base of the Lincoln Memorial, photographer Martha Raddatz captured a powerful image of armed soldiers in masks refusing entry.
Your Lincoln Memorial this evening. pic.twitter.com/QByGgWeDDm
— Martha Raddatz (@MarthaRaddatz) June 3, 2020
The Lincoln Memorial has a long history of protests, but rarely has the government shown such disdain for the protestors.
I'll say it again:
When America was rocked with massive antiwar protests in the wake of the Kent State shooting in 1970, not only were protesters still allowed at the Lincoln Memorial, but President Nixon even made a late-night trip there to talk with them personally. https://t.co/aevSoYM8qC
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) June 3, 2020
Protests at the Lincoln Memorial: May 9, 1970 and June 2, 2020 pic.twitter.com/nb3O573W2d
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) June 3, 2020
President Trump has kidnapped the Lincoln Memorial. His militarization of sacred spaces like this is offensive. When can we again get government of the people, by the people, for the people? https://t.co/Zv50leUw3S
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) June 3, 2020
Lincoln is the President most often credited with beginning America's long trek towards racial equality, a trek we still continue to this day.
Now, President Trump won't allow proponents of racial justice inside.
The point is that the Lincoln Memorial is a symbol of our country overcoming a White supremacist insurrection by the Confederacy and slavery. We now have a White supremacist President taking away the right to protest by those fighting White supremacy. Do you get it now?
— Debra Guckenheimer (@DGuckenheimer) June 3, 2020
They're there to tell us it's not ours this evening. https://t.co/DLecJ16JM9
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) June 3, 2020
Imagine having to stand there for several hours probably just a for a commercial for a dictator. https://t.co/3Agq5avF02
— Black Lives Matter (@davidhogg111) June 3, 2020
This problem affects everyone.
Some of y'all might think police brutality and abuse of power is a Black problem, but guess what...authoritarianism is an everybody problem. Just remember when your rights are wiped away that all Black folks asked for is for you to stop killing us. https://t.co/uAVTO0KGlL
— BlackWomenViews (@blackwomenviews) June 3, 2020
This is a travesty. The protests were entirely peaceful. This show of force by the military at the Lincoln Memorial is a desecration. A desecration of our Constitution. Our right to protest. Our right to demand change. It's unAmerican https://t.co/fe3cJcRPNe
— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) June 3, 2020
This photo represents the opposite of what the Lincoln Memorial stands for, and will be a permanent stain on the American story at home and around the world https://t.co/T5ZcKXbUz0
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) June 3, 2020
Many believe this image will stand the test of time as a reminder of a troubled culture.
Image of the Trump regime military at the Lincoln Memorial with their faces hidden to prevent any accountability for their actions against civilians. #ICantBreathe #GeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMattter (📸 @MarthaRaddatz) pic.twitter.com/ruBjPKzHeo
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) June 3, 2020
The steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 and 2020. pic.twitter.com/VwrfNP36lw
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) June 3, 2020
The soldiers didn't stop protestors from peacefully speaking their mind just outside the monument, however.
Hundreds of people were gathered peacefully tonight at the base of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC — a mix of black and white, young and old, looked out toward the Washington Monument https://t.co/d0UA07V5od
— CNN (@CNN) June 3, 2020
Protesters gather at the Lincoln Memorial. pic.twitter.com/eEU3r9ZAeF
— The Hill (@thehill) June 2, 2020
It's obvious what matters most to the Trump administration.
Nothing says "we respect the lives of black people" quite like stacking the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with MPs because black people are protesting how little the state values their lives.
THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL https://t.co/hwMpDZ3Iwm
— Lee 😠 Carter (@carterforva) June 3, 2020
The Lincoln Monument is a symbol of hope for racial equality.
Even if the movement isn't allowed inside, its message will continue to inspire activists everywhere.
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