Olympic canoeist cleared in Reflecting Pool case fights Trump-backed golf course takeover
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Three-time Olympian David Hearn, wrongly accused over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, is now standing with cyclists and neighbors against a Trump administration scheme to turn East Potomac Park into a luxury-style championship golf course.
David Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, was acquitted in October after a federal judge dismissed with prejudice a felony indictment that alleged he damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The case, brought by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, was thrown out after the government’s own filing admitted that the pool’s problems came from a "botched" renovation rather than any vandalism.
After his exoneration, Hearn joined a crowd of cyclists and local residents at East Potomac Park, where the Trump administration is pushing to remake the public golf course into a professional-level facility. The proposal, estimated to cost between $20 million and $49 million, includes cutting down as many as 730 trees and eliminating a popular bike path.
"I’m appalled at the disrespect by the NPS for our generators of oxygen and sources of shade which help keep the city cooler," Hearn said in a text message referencing the tree-cutting.
"This is our house. We will defend our house," he told the assembled crowd, urging continued public involvement.
Local officials, including Rep. Jamie Raskin, have described Hearn as an "everyman" who reflects grassroots resistance to the redevelopment plan. The administration says the work is routine maintenance, while preservation groups see it as part of a broader campaign to reengineer the capital’s public spaces for elite priorities.
Hearn, who previously faced arrest after touching the Reflecting Pool during a bike ride, said he will keep defending what he calls democratic public spaces. The rally ended with supporters thanking the Olympian and taking photographs.