A woman has been arrested for allegedly vandalizing the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. This incident reportedly took place during a livestream on Facebook.
On Friday, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, announced the arrest of Melissa L. Farris, sharing images of her as the suspected vandal.
“Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather,” Pirro stated.
“This morning, we are filing two felony charges, Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials, in Federal District Court against Melissa L. Farris, offenses that carry penalties of up to ten years in prison. She is now in custody,” she added.
On Thursday, the memorial was found with bubbles in its fountain and graffiti, which seemed to say, “Clean hands dirty $.” A video from an account linked to Farris showed her shaking a can of spray paint and then applying it to the memorial.
“It was me, I’m doing it, I did it, it’s on camera,” a woman, believed to be Farris, declared during the livestream.
President Donald Trump condemned the act of vandalism through a post on Truth Social, noting it followed an earlier incident involving the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a project he took pride in.
“Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals. THERE CAN BE NO GREATER INSULT TO THOSE AMERICAN HEROES WHO DIED IN WORLD WAR II. First the Reflecting Pool, now this. We are on their trail! Where do these animals come from???” he expressed on Friday.
The organization Friends of the WWII Memorial, dedicated to veterans and the preservation of the site, also released a statement regarding the vandalism.
“We are deeply disturbed by the reported vandalism at the National World War II Memorial today. Whatever the intent, defacing a place dedicated to the service and sacrifice of the World War II generation is unacceptable,” they remarked. “The National World War II Memorial is more than stone, bronze, and water. It is a sacred place of remembrance — a place where veterans, families, students, and visitors from across our nation and around the world come to reflect on the courage, sacrifice, unity, and service of a generation that helped preserve freedom.”
“There are many places in our country for expression, debate, and disagreement. A national memorial honoring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism,” they concluded.
