DC Resident to Challenge Federal Obscenity Charge After Reflecting Pool Arrest

A Washington, D.C., resident arrested near the National Mall’s reflecting pool this week said he intends to contest the charges, as former President Donald Trump continues to attribute the pool’s deteriorating condition to vandalism rather than alleged substandard renovation work.

Following a $14.2 million renovation to restore the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial to a blue hue resembling the American flag ahead of the U.S. 250th anniversary, the site has experienced algae growth and peeling paint. Trump has asserted, without evidence, that the pool was vandalized with a knife.

Earlier this week, Trump stated on social media that six individuals had been arrested “for the damage they did to our country’s now beautiful Reflecting Pool.”

Christian Miles, a freelance video editor and former U.S. Navy submariner, was filmed being removed from the reflecting pool in handcuffs on Monday. He told the Guardian that he was charged under a federal obscenity statute for verbally confronting Oklahoma state troopers stationed at the pool.

In recent months, Miles has documented what he describes as a “creeping police state” by recording interactions with federal law enforcement in D.C., often challenging their presence or policies. This arrest occurred amid heightened security following Trump’s claims about vandalism.

Miles plans to challenge the administrative charge for violating section 2.34(a)(2) of the Code of Federal Regulations, which prohibits disorderly conduct involving obscene language, gestures, or behavior deemed likely to provoke violence or unrest.

A video of his encounter with the Oklahoma troopers, posted to YouTube, aligns with his previous recordings of confrontations with law enforcement over the past 10 months. The incident occurred as Trump intensified rhetoric blaming vandals for the pool’s condition.

In an email to the Guardian, Miles highlighted the irony of a trooper’s statement during the confrontation: “You can be out here and video all you want … Go to China, they’d run over you in a tank in Red Square,” the trooper remarked, underscoring perceived freedoms in the U.S.

Miles was arrested approximately seven minutes after the exchange, cited for obscene language during his protest against the security measures at the reflecting pool.

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