Part of the World War II Memorial on the National Mall was covered in soapy bubbles and red graffiti Thursday in an incident the U.S. Park Police was investigating.
Mountains of white suds appeared in and around the memorial’s fountain by the Atlantic Arch.
Red graffiti spelled out “Clean hands dirty $” beneath the arch, and red and green paint was splattered on some of the granite stonework.
While the affected fountain looked like a bubble bath, the water in the Rainbow Pool continued to flow.
Curious tourists and commuters gawked from behind police lines, and National Guard members yelled at people who strayed too close to the memorial.
“The vandalism that occurred is an utter disgrace and will not be tolerated,” the Department of the Interior said in a written statement. “Our U.S. Park Police are on the scene and the investigation is ongoing. The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act.”
Workers arrived shortly after 6 p.m. to remove the graffiti, according to park police at the site.
Leanna Townsend, who was visiting from Florida, said that at first she thought the bubbles seemed “a little bit juvenile and funny.” But then she realized the memorial had been spray-painted, which she said was disrespectful.
“I just find it to be in complete distaste, especially for the people that it’s here to honor,” said Townsend, whose husband served in the U.S. Marines. “Shame on the person who thought that’s appropriate. It’s not.”
By Thursday evening, the memorial had been blocked off with yellow police tape, and 11 government cars, including some from the U.S. Park Police, were parked on the sidewalk. Some tourists told an officer they were disappointed they couldn’t visit the site.
The Friends of the National World War II Memorial said it was “deeply disturbed by the reported vandalism.”
“Whatever the intent, defacing a place dedicated to the service and sacrifice of the World War II generation is unacceptable.”
The incident comes weeks after the White House blamed vandals for disturbing the nearby Reflecting Pool after President Donald Trump’s renovations quickly degraded into algae blooms and peeling liner.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, ultimately dropped vandalism charges against four people and blamed the damage on flawed installation.
Trump has made refurbishing the National Mall and other parks in Washington a priority over the past year. The World War II Memorial was renovated last winter.
Another visitor to the Memorial on Thursday, college student Maddie Hairston, said she thought the location of the graffiti was insensitive but interpreted the message as criticism against the federal government for spending money on efforts like providing weapons to Israel or building Trump’s arch.
“Taxpayer dollars are going toward things that aren’t really bettering society,” said Hairston, 21.
Sonja Weekley, 60, who was visiting from Birmingham, Alabama, said she found the bubbles and spray paint offensive: “It’s ridiculous and very disrespectful.”
She said the incident was especially personal because both of her grandfathers and her father-in-law fought in World War II.
“This is not political,” she said, gesturing at the memorial. “This is for the men and women who fought for us to be free.”
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