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A new statue erected on the National Mall is causing quite a stir. The statue depicts a bronze, swirled poop on top of a recreation of Nancy Pelosi's desk, and below it is a plaque that reads in part, this memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, to loot, urinate and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election. NPR's Mia Venkat went out to the statue today to hear what people had to say about it.
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MIA VENKAT, BYLINE: Workers are mowing the lawn as I walk up to the group of people gathered around the statue, taking photos and selfies with it. There's someone in a Harris-Walz camo hat. Some people stop by while on a run. Several others are in suits. People bend down to read the plaque.
KRISTEN HARTKE: My reaction when I found out about it was obviously that it was funny.
VENKAT: Kristen Hartke lives in New York now but lived in D.C. at the time of the insurrection, just a couple blocks from the Capitol. She's also a trained artist, and she hopes the meaning of the statute doesn't get misinterpreted.
HARTKE: I think I would interpret the message as being pretty facetious, and clearly that visual that they have with this piece of art is showcasing that.
ANU MANDAPATI: Well, at first I was just told it was a poo statue, but actually, after reading what it's about, I think it takes us back to the gravity of that day, and it takes us back to, who do we want to be as a nation?
VENKAT: Anu Mandapati is from Austin, Texas, in town visiting a friend who took her to see the statue, whereas Jeff Parcells-Johnson lives in Alexandria, Virginia. He biked over to see if the statue was actually real.
JEFF PARCELLS-JOHNSON: I think it's just a great juxtaposition to what Trump thinks this was, and it's funny. It's worthwhile to laugh at that sometimes.
VENKAT: According to the permit for the anonymous artwork, approved by the National Park Service, it will be on display until October 30. We reached out to the person who requested the permit and have not yet heard back. And as I left the Mall, massive sprinklers start up, soaking a few onlookers trying to get the perfect shot of the bronze poop. Mia Venkat, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF SLVR SONG, "BACK N FORTH") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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