Christian Miles, a Washington DC resident, was arrested near the National Mall's reflecting pool on Monday and plans to fight the obscenity charge filed against him, he told the Guardian. The arrest occurred as former President Donald Trump continues to blame vandals for the botched renovation of the pool, which has faced algae blooms and peeling liner after a $14.2 million renovation intended to turn it “American flag” blue for the US’s 250th birthday.
Arrest and Charges
Miles was seen on video being dragged away in handcuffs from the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool. He was charged with violating a federal obscenity law, specifically section 2.34 (a) (2) of the Code of Federal Regulations, which prohibits disorderly conduct using obscene language or gestures likely to incite a breach of peace. Miles stated he plans to contest the administrative law charge.
The arrest followed an encounter where Miles berated a group of Oklahoma state troopers guarding the reflecting pool. Miles, a freelance video editor and former US navy submariner, has made it a personal project to document what he calls the “creeping police state” since Trump’s federal takeover of policing in Washington DC.
Context of the Renovation
The Trump administration spent $14.2 million renovating the reflecting pool, but it has been plagued by algae blooms and peeling polyurethane liner. Trump claimed without evidence that the pool had been slashed with a knife and said on social media that six people had been arrested for damage to the pool. However, no charges filed so far include allegations of damaging the pool.
Miles' Account
Miles posted an edited video of his encounter on YouTube. He noted irony in that a state trooper told him the US is a free society because he could video freely, unlike in China. According to Miles, he was arrested seven minutes later for using obscene language while protesting the security crackdown at the reflecting pool.
