this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2026
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Bro's just cycling peacefully, took a picture of what an absolute shambles this public project is, and got tackled by the secret service

https://archive.is/7hlfJ

In a photo taken by David Hearn minutes before his arrest, a partially detached piece of the Reflecting Pool liner is visible. The top of Hearn's shoe can be seen at the bottom of the photo. (David Hearn)

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i've been to DC a few times. one for a work thing nearby where i could take the metro in and play walk-around tourist for a day. the metro is incredible and all those free museums, the rail access to bus services to move around the region was nice too, by american standards. in that, there was a convenient bus station i could take to get to the absurdly out of the way place i was going without a car... though the bus part of the station was pretty fucked up and clearly underfunded/understaffed, confusingly organized due to some ongoing long term (stalled) remodeling. could just be bad timing, but i bet it was a multiyear cock up.

i liked my time there, but i could not really imagine trying to live there especially as the power structure grows increasingly contested between factions, neither of which seem to be accountable to working class people. it just reads unstable to me, and has too many cowboys dressing up as too many lawmen from too many agencies all eager to make an example of somebody, just so they find patronage to jump ranks.

a lot of big cities and strategic towns in the US suffer from something similar, but DC feels exceptional in this way as we stumble face first into The Cool Zone. not to mention, the panopticon there has to be state of the art and completely integrated. might as well realize you're an actor on stage playing a role everywhere you go in public.

[–] Damarcusart@hexbear.net 73 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

In bad country, you aren't allowed to take photos of any of the failed public works projects or else you are disappeared by the secret police. yeonmi-park

[–] ClathrateG@hexbear.net 28 points 1 day ago (1 children)

In bad country there is no water so citizens are forced to drink the reflecting pool, then peepee it back in, the process is repeated the next day and the next

[–] Damarcusart@hexbear.net 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The pool is green because the only other liquid Americans are allowed to consume is Mountain Dew^TM^

[–] ClathrateG@hexbear.net 22 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You almost made me reference Idiocracy maddened

[–] StalinIsMaiWaifu@lemmygrad.ml 20 points 1 day ago

It has what the plants crave

[–] nasezero@hexbear.net 50 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I was annoyed at first, having to hear the liberals whine about another one of their sacred fascist monuments being ruined by Trump, but even I have to admit that every attempt by the regime to fix it just fucking it up further is pretty funny stalin-joking

[–] doubtingtammy@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 day ago

having to hear the liberals whine about another one of their sacred fascist monuments being ruined by Trump,

It's great because trump started making a big deal out of the pool himself. Libs would've looked silly complaining about algae in near-stagnant water in DC. But trump chose this battle.

[–] micnd90@hexbear.net 28 points 1 day ago

Critical support for Trumpo's SimCity projects, they're all have been hilarious. Tearing down Chelsea Clinton's childhood home (WH East Wing) into rubble and the ballroom construction getting caught up in one litigious lawsuits after another was funny. Even Yahya Sinwar couldn't dream of blowing up 1/3rd of the White House into rubble.

[–] miz@hexbear.net 37 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

guarantee you they targeted this guy because of the bicycle

[–] tocopherol@hexbear.net 28 points 1 day ago

What a wild world for them to live in where every Kelly meme is true sicko-biker

[–] Kuori@hexbear.net 27 points 1 day ago (1 children)

this is so fucking goofy i can't

[–] micnd90@hexbear.net 29 points 1 day ago

Trying to fight natural algae bloom in DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area during the summertime is like having the Soviet Commissar flipping out about having snow in Moscow in December

[–] thefunkycomitatus@hexbear.net 15 points 1 day ago

Going back in time to show Dulles that his intelligence machine is black-bagging rando cyclists who happened to be on the mall at 7pm on a Saturday because the President, who owns several pools, can't figure out how to clean a pool.

[–] InevitableSwing@hexbear.net 22 points 1 day ago (1 children)

TOUCH TRUMPS POOL GO DIRECTLY TO JAIL DO NOT PASS GO DO NOT COLLECT $$$

show us where on the body of water the cyclist touched you

[–] limer@lemmy.ml 20 points 1 day ago

In fascist America, you do not clean the pool, the pool cleans you

[–] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 day ago

Did he put the algae underneath the spot that he "peeled" as well? Lol