I engaged in a bit of impromptu community service this Labor Day.
While walking the dogs through Chinatown and Judiciary Square this morning, I notice that someone trashed the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. A large binder containing officer names is ripped apart and the pages blanket the southern part of the memorial.
I reflexively take out my phone to Instagram the petty vandalism, but I immediately realize that I should take some responsibility over my new neighborhood and just clean up the damn mess. The wind hasn’t picked up most of the pages yet, so it’s better for me to handle this rather than waiting for the Park Service to show up.
I tie up the dogs and get to work.
The dogs patiently waiting while I clean up the National Police Officers Memorial.
Second thoughts
As I clean, I think about what I am going to say if a security guard comes out and mistakes me for the vandal. Maybe this was a bad idea and I’ll end up tazed… I can already see the Above the Law headline: “Lawyer tazed while trying to clean up Washington D.C. monument.”
But no security guards or tabloid headlines materialize. By the time I am wrapping up the area outside of the fountain, a National Park Service van rolls up. The sleepy-looking driver stares at me for a moment and then he gets out.
“Lost your papers?” he asks.
“Actually, someone ripped open the binders of officers’ names,” I say.
“And you’re just randomly picking it up?” he asks.
“Yep,” I say. “But I’ll let you handle those pages in the fountain. I’m sure you don’t like to find random people splashing around in the water.”
“That’s a good call,” he says. “Man, people are assholes.”
“At least we aren’t!”
A Park Service employee cleaning up the National Police Officers Memorial.
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