Vandalism at the National Mall: Grass Stained with Controversial Numbers

The National Park Service has launched a criminal investigation following the discovery of numbers stained into the grass near the Washington Monument. This incident adds to a recent series of demonstrations that involve a slang term the Trump administration associates with threats of assassination against the president.

The verdant grass stretching from the Washington Monument to the World War II Memorial is one of the nation’s prestigious public spaces. Unfortunately, it is not immune to acts of vandalism. On Thursday, the U.S. Park Police identified large stains spelling out ’86 47′ on this grass.

The term ’86’ is slang that can mean to dismiss, remove, or eliminate, including in contexts that suggest killing. President Trump, who has been targeted by multiple assassination attempts, is both the 45th and 47th president of the United States. The Trump administration has previously interpreted these numbers as a call for assassination in similar cases.

The browned grass patches were significant enough to be visible from a web camera located atop the Washington Monument. The exact method used to create the stains was not immediately known. This act seemed to have been planned days before an Ultimate Fighting Championship event hosted by President Trump at the White House, coinciding with his 80th birthday.

U.S. Park Police issued a statement indicating the ongoing investigation into the vandalism, first reported at around 11:30 a.m. on the west lawn of the Washington Monument. They are working to determine both the cause and the individuals responsible for discoloring the grass in this iconic area.