Latest information available as of May 22,
The Lincoln Memorial was briefly closed on Saturday after college students littered the area with broken glass bottles. A large group of Georgetown seniors celebrating their graduation were reportedly responsible for incident.
After celebrating their graduation night, hundreds of Georgetown seniors gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. On Saturday morning to witness the sunrise.
The group left debris in the area, prompting the National Park Service to announce a temporary delay in public access to the Lincoln Memorial.
The National Park Service announced on Saturday morning that the Memorial Lincoln at a local university is closed following a graduation celebration, due to the steps being covered, spilled wine and champagne, broken bottles, and litter left behind.
The local university’s Lincoln Memorial is currently closed due to a graduation celebration that left behind broken bottles, litter, and spilled champagne and wine. The area has been made safe and cleaned, and we will soon reopen it, taking the necessary steps.
— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) May 21, 2022
The Lincoln Memorial was reopened to the public by 11 am. The hottest day of the year so far was when the workers were compelled to clean up the mess.
In a subsequent declaration, the park service expressed gratitude, stating, “We value your understanding. The Lincoln Memorial is accessible. We extend our thanks to our facilities team for the prompt restoration work carried out this morning.”
According to a university representative, NBC 4 Washington was informed that, “Although Georgetown is among numerous establishments commemorating graduation ceremonies this weekend,” at the Lincoln Memorial, we are observing the troubling and disheartening behavior. Georgetown University did not provide an apology but released a statement regarding the incident at the Lincoln Memorial.
We expect all members of our community to be responsible citizens and respectful of the history and institutions of Washington, D.C. We have not had any University-sponsored events around the Lincoln Memorial. He added that Georgetown did not officially plan an event at the monument.
According to Mike Litterst, the spokesperson for NPS, no citations or arrests have been issued, as reported by NBC4 Washington.
Festivities to commemorate the centenary of the Lincoln Memorial are scheduled to commence this weekend.