Several demonstrators entered the chamber of the Lincoln Memorial just before 2 p.m. on Friday, August 17th. Two of them, dressed as superhero characters, climbed up onto the statue of Lincoln and hung out a banner. Park Police officers Stacy Palmer and Elizabeth Kessebeh immediately responded. They ordered the two men to come down and the other demonstrators in the chamber to sit down. When the latter declined to comply, a struggle ensued in which Palmer was injured. Other officers soon arrived. Major Kevin Hay took operational control of the incident, and officers and NPS employees began clearing visitors from the memorial’s chamber and stairwell. Other officers assisted in the detention of the demonstrators. Sergeant Robert Lachance and officer Billy Brancato began negotiations with the demonstrators on the statue and were soon able to gain their compliance. Shortly thereafter, the two men handed down heavy duty chains, signs, locks, duct tape, super glue, large steel cables, and other materials. They were then safely helped down and arrested by several SWAT and K-9 officers. Based on the recovered items the demonstrators intended to use, it appears that they could have caused extensive damage to the Lincoln statue. Because of the quick actions and excellent teamwork on the part of Park Police officers and officials and the National Park Service employees who assisted in dealing with crowd management and the demonstrators, the situation was quickly contained and brought to an end with no damage to the Lincoln Memorial.
