The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, is the center of the American political establishment.
In a nation of many nations, it is the place where the establishment speaks for all Americans.
However, the Washington, D.C. Memorial Center (DCMC) has been the site of some of the most violent riots in American history.
In June of 1968, a crowd of about 5,000 protesters marched on the Lincoln Memorial to protest the Vietnam War.
Some protesters threw rocks at a police car, causing damage and injuring five officers.
After a riot ensued, more than 500 people were arrested, most of them black.
The incident led to the resignation of the then-president Lyndon Johnson and the end of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
However in 1972, Johnson appointed former Vice President Al Gore to lead the DCMC and he appointed former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to head the USMC.
After his term ended, Giuliani took the helm of the DCDC, a new federal agency created to promote democracy and human rights.
The DCMC has been plagued by corruption, inefficiency, and incompetence since the day it was created.
As a result, its funding has been cut from more than $1 billion to $1.4 billion annually.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the DCCC would lose $1,800,000 in federal funding in 2021.
The president, the vice president, and the president of the United States will all receive their paychecks from DCMC.
However because of the massive budget cuts, the DC DCMC now relies on donations from private individuals to keep its operations running.
This means that DCMC can no longer function as an independent organization that provides services to the American people.
Many Americans are fed up with the DC government and want to make their voices heard.
In 2016, Americans from across the political spectrum came together to send a message to the DC Metropolitan Police Department that they will not be silenced by the federal government.
This event took place in Washington DC, the nation’s capital.
The rally was led by the National Action Network (NAN), a group of former Democratic officials and activists.
The NAN held up a banner that read “We Want to Take Back the DC Metro.”
The group also held a candlelight vigil for the victims of the riot that occurred in 1968.
As of March 2018, over 60 people had been arrested in connection to the riots, most for “disorderly conduct.”
This week, a federal grand jury indicted the officers who responded to the 1968 riots for failing to stop the riots and assaulting demonstrators.
However since the indictment, the case has been thrown out of court.
In March, a coalition of activists launched a petition on Change.org to bring the case to trial.
On the petition, the group argues that the Justice Department has been complicit in the DC riots by refusing to bring criminal charges against the police officers involved.
The Justice Department’s response to the petition states that “the DOJ has not sought to investigate the rioters for misconduct and instead has chosen to prosecute the officers for civil rights violations.”
While the Justice Departments official position is that the riot was “unlawful and excessive,” there is no evidence that the officers were intentionally breaking the law.
Instead, the Justice Dept. has maintained that the protests were in response to a white supremacist rally and that the actions of the police were justified.
However the DCC has been an integral part of the political establishment in Washington D. C. for decades.
Its leadership has included a former Democratic Congressman and current Vice President.
It is ironic that the person who was supposed to lead DCMC, Rudolph Giuliani, is now the subject of a federal investigation.
This investigation is a direct result of the protests that took place on July 25, 2018.
The violence at the Lincoln is a reminder that when Americans have their voices silenced, we will take our protest to the streets.
What do you think?
Do you think the DC Medical Center should be renamed the Lincoln Medical Center?
Do You Think the DC Civil Rights Commission should investigate the DCMCC?
Tell us in the comments below.
Photo: Getty Images / Flickr
