Sad

[L Verge]

It would appear that the "minor incident" of green paint and vandalism in D.C. is growing a tad larger. This news report says that the National Cathedral and the statue of the Smithsonian's first secretary have also been defaced with green paint. See below:

Green paint was found early Friday morning on the Lincoln Memorial, and symbols were found painted in green later Friday on another statue on the Mall. The Lincoln Memorial was closed temporarily but reopened later Friday.

Officials at the cathedral discovered the paint inside two chapels Monday afternoon. It was still wet, which led them to believe the vandalism had just occurred. Officials called police immediately and closed the cathedral to visitors while authorities searched the grounds.

The paint was splashed onto an organ and on the floor inside the cathedral's historic Bethlehem Chapel on the basement level, officials said. It was also found inside Children's Chapel in the nave of the cathedral.

Also Monday, U.S. Park Police said green paint was found on the statue of Joseph Henry outside the headquarters of the Smithsonian Institution on the Mall. Henry was the Smithsonian's first secretary.

Meanwhile, crews continued working Monday to remove the paint from the Lincoln Memorial. The National Park Service said progressively stronger substances would be used until all the paint is gone, which could take several days. The memorial was scheduled to be power washed Tuesday.

Sgt. Paul Brooks, a U.S. Park Police spokesman, said it was too early to tell whether the same person was responsible for the vandalism at the two Mall landmarks. He noted that while the paint appeared to be splattered indiscriminately on the memorial, the statue appeared to have been deliberately painted. The symbols on the statue were not immediately decipherable.

D.C. police said paint from the cathedral would likely be sent to the FBI for testing.

The "artist" who did the damage at the cathedral has been arrested because someone saw her doing it. However, police say there is a language barrier that is making their interrogation quite difficult.

For those of you who may have visited the National Cathedral in D.C., you know that it is absolutely spectacular and rivals many of the ancient cathedrals of Europe.