Olympic canoeist at center of Reflecting Pool scandal becomes a Trump foil

Nearly five decades before David Hearn faced up to 10 years in prison over allegations from the Trump administration that he intentionally damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, he did something that would be considered unthinkable today.

The then-18-year-old dropped an oblong yellow canoe into the shallow water and, with a handful of friends in their boats, paddled down the pool’s length.

The sanctioned stunt in the summer of 1977 was part of a sendoff for Hearn and a few of the others before they flew to Austria to compete in their first Canoe Slalom World Championship. For Hearn, it also marked the start of a long and complicated relationship with the 2,000-foot-long landmark that lies at the center of President Donald Trump’s effort to remake the nation’s capital in his image.

Hearn, 67, has become a lightning rod for the continuing troubles of the Reflecting Pool, which remains fenced off to the public after, according to federal prosecutors, a $14 million renovation project was “botched.” To some, including Trump, Hearn is a vandal who sought to destroy one of the president’s prized beautification projects out of malice. To Trump’s critics, the soft-spoken native Marylander is a scapegoat who was caught in the white glare of the president’s ire before a federal judge recently dismissed the case brought against him with prejudice.

Along the way, the three-time Olympic canoeist has joined a list of local Trump foils who’ve been catapulted into celebrity, including a DC man who became a symbol of the resistance to Trump’s takeover of Washington, DC last year when he threw a Subway sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection officer, and a woman who went on to become a Loudoun County board member after she was fired from her government contractor job for flipping off Trump’s motorcade in 2017.

“Davey! Davey! Davey!” a group of people chanted as they recently circled around Hearn at DC’s East Potomac Park public golf course — the site of another controversial Trump renovation project that the canoeist has recently championed.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

“I’ve been used to representing my country over many years in the canoe kayak arena and three Olympics, and yet this has been an experience that surpassed that in many ways,” Hearn said to the crowd, marveling over his newfound celebrity as they protested the administration’s plans to convert the park that offers stunning views of the Potomac into a championship-caliber golf course.

Hearn got hooked on canoeing as a teen-aged boy paddling along the Potomac River with friends after school.

His father, Carter Hearn, was a whitewater paddler, as was his older sister Cathy Hearn. They lived near the constant flow of rushing water at the foot of Great Falls Park, a local mecca for whitewater paddlers. After competing in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics, Hearn became a hero in that community who coached others how to canoe.

“There was not a whitewater canoer or kayaker in the DC region or nationally or internationally that didn’t know or revere Davey Hearn,” said Adam Van Grack, one of Hearn’s students.

Hearn’s entire life was canoeing, even taking off from college every other Spring to train canoe slalom ahead of the biennial World Championships. His expansive career would take him to dozens of countries, where he collected gold, silver and bronze medals.

Hearn also entered the public eye in other ways. In 1996, just before his second Olympics appearance, he was arrested one rainy day for riding his canoe in the roaring waters of the Potomac, ignoring a sign that prohibited such dangerous activity. Hearn faced the possibility of an up to $5,000 fine and six months in jail for bypassing the closure notice, but the charges were dismissed, according to The Washington Post.

Four months later, while Hearn and his sister, Cathy, trained near Little Falls Dam, a group of fishermen became stranded in the choppy currents of the Potomac. Hearn helped authorities rescue the fishermen who were in danger of drowning, ferrying them back to shore on his boat.

“They were kind of stranded out there,” Hearn told the Washington Post . “They could’ve stayed there indefinitely, but I’m not sure how they would’ve gotten back.”

Reveling in the temperate weather of a breezy June afternoon earlier this year, Hearn left his house in Bethesda and embarked on a 52-mile bike ride across Washington, DC. The lengthy route was part of his training for a new challenge, the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships for cyclists set in Japan.

As he cycled past the Kennedy Center and other parts of the National Mall area, Hearn later said, his mind wandered to the Reflecting Pool where he often stopped by on his way back. He had heard about the problems with the pool’s peeling synthetic liner and decided to end his bike ride there, indulging his curiosity about the material because he has worked with synthetics at his business building canoes.

Aaron Schwartz/Reuters

“I was curious about why it’s peeling,” he said in an interview the day after his arrest.

Hearn slipped off his biking glove and dipped his bare hand into the water that had become green with algae, brushing past a flap of the blue sealant, he said. Before he could inspect further, a National Park Service official posted there ordered Hearn to stop touching the water. He waited a beat, then returned to his bike where the official told him a Park Police officer wanted to talk to him. Hearn said in an interview that he blundered into the situation and was the one to suggest they walk over to the police officer together. Within seconds, his hands were placed behind his back and he was in handcuffs, Hearn said.

Still wearing his grey and neon green cycling jersey, Hearn sat in a roughly six-by-eight-inch cell for almost five hours, what he described at the time as a respite after a pleasant bike ride. But political storm clouds were already gathering around him.

Trump had by then seized on the idea that the Reflecting Pool’s problems were due to vandalism and not poor workmanship. In a series of social media posts , the president warned anyone caught tampering with the memorial could face serious criminal charges that could result in lengthy prison sentences.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Hearn sat idly in his cell unaware of what lay in store for him.

“He was worried about it. He was stressed by it, and he told me through the whole thing that he lost a lot of sleep over it,” said Bill Endicott, Hearn’s coach and neighbor. “We didn’t joke about it at all. I mean, in retrospect, the whole thing is so farcical.”

Less than two weeks later, Hearn was indicted by a grand jury in Washington, DC, Superior Court, for allegedly damaging the Reflecting Pool.

In a press conference on July 2, US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro described Hearn as “violently” ripping up about two square feet of the massive pool and being belligerent and rude toward federal officers guarding it.

As Hearn pleaded not guilty, supporters gathered outside the courthouse, some of them holding signs.

“Free Davey Hearn! Free Davey Hearn! Free Davey Hearn!” a group chanted.

Pirro cited “tremendous evidence” for why she was choosing to charge Hearn with a felony. But in a court filing just weeks later, her office sharply contradicted the evidence of vandalism, saying that the rush to complete Trump’s renovation of the Reflecting Pool led to “hasty and botched work.”

Hearn’s case was tossed out following the court filing and by October, a federal judge dismissed charges against Hearn, with prejudice.

“In securing the Indictment against Mr. Hearn, the government shot first and asked questions later,” DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman wrote.

Trump doubled down on his claims that vandals ruined the Reflecting Pool and extended little grace to Pirro who he blasted for choking under the judge’s pressure. Meanwhile, Hearn’s notoriety continued.

Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, who represents Hearn’s district in Congress, called Hearn “an everyman” who people could rally around.

Hearn, Raskin said, “took his lumps and decided to fight it every step of the way, and became a hero for his poise and equanimity.”

On a rainy October morning a few miles away from the Reflecting Pool, flocks of people gathered in the greenways of the East Potomac Park golf course. A loud brass band ushered cyclists into the raucous scene at the edge of the peninsula where friends and neighbors exchanged greetings. David Hearn, officially clear of his problems with the Reflecting Pool, was among them, ready to embrace another problem.

The Trump administration is targeting the golf course for renovation, another beautification project that, like the Reflecting Pool, has become the subject of litigation.

The president’s plan to transform the site into a professional course, which could cost between $20 million and $49 million, would eliminate a cherished affordable place to play golf for many DC area residents.

Part of the renovation plan is to cut down as many as 730 trees, an effort that has already begun and that Trump administration officials say is mostly routine maintenance meant to eliminate potential hazards.

Preservationists see the tree cutting and the likely elimination of a popular bike path at the site as one more sign of the Trump administration’s attempt to force the president’s will on the nation’s capital.

“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 recent text message about the fact that, so far, at least 430 trees have been cut down so far.

Asked if he planned to continue as an activist, Hearn said: “I will continue to defend democracy as best I can. Stay tuned.”

At the rally, Hearn blended into the crowd of cyclists, only identifiable by his Team USA uniform and navy blazer.

Then, it was time for him to speak to the crowd.

“This is our house,” Hearn declared to the cheering crowd, where some held up their phones to capture the moment. “We will defend our house.”

After his speech, Hearn folded back into the crowd of people donning rain jackets and helmets. “Thank you,” said one woman leaning into Hearn as she squeezed his arm tightly before walking away.

A line of other people waited to thank him too and take pictures with the Olympian who now represented more to them.

Softly smiling, Hearn nodded along with their conversations, taking it all in.

在戴维·赫恩因特朗普政府指控他故意破坏林肯纪念堂倒影池而面临最高 10 年监禁的近 50 年前，他做了一件在今天看来不可思议的事情。

当时18岁的他将一艘长方形的黄色独木舟放入浅水中，然后和几个朋友一起划着独木舟，沿着泳池的长度划去。

1977年夏天，这场经官方批准的特技表演是为赫恩和其他几位选手在飞往奥地利参加他们的首届皮划艇激流回旋世界锦标赛前举行的欢送仪式的一部分。对赫恩而言，这也标志着他与这座长达2000英尺的地标之间一段漫长而复杂的关系的开始。这座地标正是唐纳德·特朗普总统试图按照自己的意愿改造美国首都的核心所在。

现年67岁的赫恩已成为倒影池持续动荡的焦点人物。据联邦检察官称，一项耗资1400万美元的翻新工程“搞砸了”，此后倒影池一直被围栏封闭，禁止公众进入。在包括特朗普在内的一些人看来，赫恩是一个恶意破坏者，试图摧毁总统引以为豪的美化项目之一。而在特朗普的批评者看来，这位说话轻声细语的马里兰州本地人只是一个替罪羊，在联邦法官最近驳回针对他的诉讼之前，他一直处于总统怒火的漩涡之中。

这位三次参加奥运会的皮划艇运动员一路走来，加入了当地反对特朗普并因此成为名人的行列，其中包括一位华盛顿特区的男子，他去年向一名海关和边境保护官员扔了一个赛百味三明治，成为抵制特朗普接管华盛顿特区的象征；还有一位女子，她在 2017 年因向特朗普的车队竖中指而被政府承包商解雇，之后成为劳登县委员会成员。

“戴维！戴维！戴维！”一群人最近在华盛顿特区东波托马克公园公共高尔夫球场围着赫恩高喊口号——这里是特朗普另一个备受争议的翻新项目所在地，而这位皮划艇运动员最近一直支持该项目。

马克·谢费尔贝因/美联社

“多年来，我一直代表我的国家参加皮划艇比赛和三届奥运会，但这次的经历在很多方面都超越了以往，”赫恩对人群说道，他惊叹于自己新获得的声名，而人群正在抗议政府计划将这座可以欣赏波托马克河壮丽景色的公园改建成锦标赛级别的高尔夫球场。

赫恩十几岁时放学后经常和朋友们一起沿着波托马克河划独木舟，从此迷上了划独木舟。

他的父亲卡特·赫恩和姐姐凯西·赫恩都是激流皮划艇运动员。他们住在大瀑布公园脚下，那里水流湍急，是当地激流皮划艇爱好者的圣地。赫恩曾参加过1992年、1996年和2000年夏季奥运会，之后成为当地的英雄，并指导其他人学习划独木舟。

“在华盛顿特区地区、全国乃至国际上，没有哪个激流皮划艇运动员或独木舟运动员不认识或不敬仰戴维·赫恩，”赫恩的学生亚当·范·格拉克说道。

赫恩的一生都奉献给了皮划艇运动，甚至每隔一年的春天，他都会从大学休学，专心训练皮划艇激流回旋项目，备战两年一度的世界锦标赛。他辉煌的职业生涯遍及数十个国家，并斩获了金牌、银牌和铜牌。

赫恩还以其他方式进入了公众视野。1996年，就在他第二次参加奥运会前夕，在一个雨天，他因在波托马克河湍急的河水中划独木舟而被捕，无视了禁止这种危险活动的标志。据《华盛顿邮报》报道，赫恩可能因违反关闭通知而被处以最高5000美元的罚款和六个月的监禁，但最终指控被撤销。

四个月后，当赫恩和他的妹妹凯西在小瀑布大坝附近训练时，一群渔民被困在波托马克河汹涌的河水中。赫恩帮助当局营救了这些有溺水危险的渔民，用他的船把他们送回岸边。

赫恩告诉《华盛顿邮报》：“他们当时有点被困在那儿了。他们本来可以无限期地待在那儿，但我不知道他们该怎么回去。”

今年六月一个凉爽宜人的午后，赫恩离开位于贝塞斯达的家，开始了穿越华盛顿特区的52英里自行车骑行。这段漫长的路线是他为迎接一项新挑战——在日本举行的UCI格兰芬多自行车世界锦标赛——而进行的训练的一部分。

赫恩后来回忆说，当他骑车经过肯尼迪中心和国家广场其他区域时，他的思绪飘到了倒影池，那是他经常在回家的路上停留的地方。他听说过池子里的合成材料内衬出现剥落的问题，于是决定在那里结束骑行，满足自己对这种材料的好奇心，因为他在自己制造独木舟的公司里也接触过合成材料。

Aaron Schwartz/路透社

“我很好奇它为什么会剥落，”他在被捕后的第二天接受采访时说。

赫恩脱下骑行手套，将裸露的手伸进长满藻类的绿色水中，他回忆说，手掌擦过一小块蓝色密封胶。还没等他进一步查看，一名驻守在那里的国家公园管理局官员就命令他停止触摸水面。赫恩等了一会儿，然后回到自行车旁，那名官员告诉他，一名公园警察想和他谈谈。赫恩在接受采访时说，他是误打误撞卷入了这场风波，是他提议一起走到警察面前的。赫恩说，几秒钟之内，他的双手就被反铐在背后。

赫恩仍然穿着他那件灰绿相间的骑行服，在一个大约六乘八英寸的小隔间里坐了将近五个小时。他当时称这是愉快的骑行后的一次休憩。但政治风暴的阴云已经开始在他周围聚集。

当时，特朗普已经认定倒影池的问题是由于人为破坏而非工艺缺陷造成的。他在一系列社交媒体帖子中警告说，任何被发现破坏纪念碑的人都可能面临严重的刑事指控，并可能被判处长期监禁。

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

赫恩百无聊赖地坐在牢房里，对即将发生在他身上的事一无所知。

“他为此很担心，压力很大，他告诉我，这件事让他失眠了好几次，”赫恩的教练兼邻居比尔·恩迪科特说。“我们根本没拿这件事开玩笑。我的意思是，现在回想起来，整件事真是太荒唐了。”

不到两周后，赫恩被华盛顿特区高等法院的大陪审团起诉，罪名是涉嫌破坏倒影池。

7 月 2 日，哥伦比亚特区美国检察官珍妮·皮罗在新闻发布会上称，赫恩“暴力地”撕毁了这座巨大游泳池约两平方英尺的面积，并且对守卫游泳池的联邦官员态度蛮横无礼。

赫恩拒不不认罪，支持者们聚集在法院外，其中一些人举着标语。

“释放戴维·赫恩！释放戴维·赫恩！释放戴维·赫恩！”一群人高喊着。

皮罗称有“大量证据”支持她以重罪指控赫恩。但仅仅几周后，她的办公室在一份法庭文件中却对破坏行为的证据提出了截然相反的反驳，称特朗普急于完成倒影池的翻新工程导致了“仓促且粗制滥造的工程”。

赫恩的案件在提交法院文件后被驳回，到 10 月份，一名联邦法官驳回了对赫恩的指控，且不得再次提起诉讼。

“在对赫恩先生提起诉讼的过程中，政府先开枪，后问话，”哥伦比亚特区高等法院法官托德·埃德尔曼写道。

特朗普再次强调是破坏者毁坏了倒影池，并对皮罗法官毫不留情，抨击他在法官的压力下表现不佳。与此同时，赫恩的恶名昭彰仍在继续。

代表赫恩所在选区的马里兰州众议员杰米·拉斯金称赫恩是“一个普通人”，人们可以团结在他周围。

拉斯金说，赫恩“承受了种种打击，决定一路抗争到底，并因其沉着冷静而成为英雄”。

十月一个阴雨绵绵的早晨，距离倒影池几英里外，东波托马克公园高尔夫球场的绿道上聚集了大批人群。一支嘹亮的铜管乐队引领着骑行者们来到半岛边缘这片喧闹的景象中，朋友和邻居们互相问候。大卫·赫恩也在其中，他与倒影池的纠纷已经正式解决，他准备迎接另一个挑战。

特朗普政府计划对高尔夫球场进行翻新，这是又一个美化项目，与倒影池一样，也成为了诉讼的对象。

总统计划将该地改造成一个专业高尔夫球场，预计耗资 2000 万至 4900 万美元，这将使华盛顿特区许多居民失去一个珍贵且价格合理的打高尔夫球的场所。

翻新计划的一部分是砍伐多达 730 棵树，这项工作已经开始，特朗普政府官员表示，这主要是例行维护，旨在消除潜在的危险。

环保人士认为，砍伐树木以及可能拆除该地一条颇受欢迎的自行车道，是特朗普政府试图将总统的意志强加于国家首都的又一迹象。

“我对国家公园管理局如此不尊重我们的氧气制造者和遮荫来源感到震惊，这些树木有助于保持城市凉爽，”赫恩在最近的一条短信中说道，他指的是到目前为止至少有 430 棵树被砍伐。

当被问及是否计划继续从事社会活动时，赫恩表示：“我会继续尽我所能捍卫民主。敬请关注。”

在集会上，赫恩融入了自行车手的队伍中，只有通过他的美国队队服和海军蓝西装外套才能辨认出来。

然后，轮到他向人群讲话了。

“这是我们的地盘，”赫恩向欢呼的人群宣布，人群中有些人举起手机记录下这一刻。“我们将捍卫我们的地盘。”

演讲结束后，赫恩融入了穿着雨衣、戴着头盔的人群中。“谢谢，”一位女士靠在赫恩身上，紧紧地攥了攥他的胳膊，然后转身离开。

还有许多人排队等着向他道谢，并与这位如今对他们来说意义非凡的奥运选手合影。

赫恩面带微笑，一边点头一边听着他们的谈话，把一切都听在心里。