Woman smuggles can of spray-paint into White House,then defaces Blue Room,no injuries,lots of damage
Joe1orbit
Hello,
The Secret Service had itself a little bit of action today, INSIDE of the
actual White House! But, don't get too excited folks, as this was not a
legitimate assassination attempt at all.
A woman, not yet publically identified, was taken into custody while inside
the White House a few hours ago. This gal, White, aged around 30 to 35, was on
a regular, public, escorted tour of the White House, when at about 12 noon,
while inside the Blue Room, she suddenly reached into her purse or bag, and
removed a can of spray paint. She proceeded to SPRAY the rust colored paint
throughout the Blue Room, causing significant damage to the walls of the room
and badly defacing defacing two "priceless" statues or busts, of Christopher
Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci.
Secret Service officers rushed into the room, and the woman was subdued and
taken into custody. She did not offer active resistance to the Agents, and
surrendered rather peacefully. There is no clear motive given yet, which is no
surprise since the incident only occured a few short hours ago.
White House officials are REFUSING to allow news crews to enter the Blue Room
and FILM the spraypainting that was done. This is a CLEAR violation of freedom
of the press laws. There is ABSOLUTELY no legitimate SECURITY reason why TV and
film crews are not being allowed to visually RECORD the exact spraypainting
that was done, with their cameras. It is VERY possible that this spraypainted
certain WORDS or sentences, rather than just randomly spraying paint. The
REFUSAL of the White House to allow film crews to RECORD, for POSTERITY,
EXACTLY what was spraypainted, is a CLEAR violation of the constitution, and of
freedom of the press laws and amendments.
I call on the media to stop being brainwashed prostitutes to their society,
and to DEMAND access to the Blue Room, and to be allowed to visually record
EVERYTHING that was spraypainted, both on the walls AND on the two statues.
The Secret Service is not stating whether or not President Clinton or his
Wife were inside the White House when this incident occured. It is also not
saying how or why the can of spray paint was not found by the security
screening process that all visiters to the White House must submit to. Of
course, the Secret Service is known to try and keep it's security FLAWS and
failures, secret.
Disclaimer: The act of assassination is a crime. The author of this post does
not advocate or condone any type of criminal or illegal behavior. The post is
made only for informational and research purposes.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of today's Associated Press news wire:
Woman apprehended while spraying paint in White House Blue Room
January 13, 1998
WASHINGTON (AP) — A woman touring the White House today sprayed rust-colored
paint in the Blue Room and was taken into custody by Secret Service agents, a
White House spokesman said.
The woman caused more than $1,000 damage to the room's wall coverings and
defaced two "rather priceless'' busts of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo
Vespucci that are among the oldest sculptures in the White House, spokesman
Mike McCurry said.
McCurry described the woman, who was not immediately identified, as white and
between the ages of 30 and 35. "I'm told she was taken into custody and was
rather calm about it,'' he said. Her motive was not clear.
McCurry said the woman was on one of the daily public tours when, just after
noon, she began spraying paint at the busts on 5-foot pedestals and was
interrupted by a nearby uniformed Secret Service agent.
Secret Service officials did not immediately return calls for comment.
The two busts will be removed for repair, but tours of the mansion would not
otherwise be affected, McCurry said. Citing a fear of copycat vandals, White
House officials refused to allow news cameras to film the damage.
"This president and this first lady are committed to keeping the residence open
to the American public,'' he said.
Joe1orbit
Hello,
Here is a brief update on today's incident at the White House in Washington,
D.C., where a woman, whose name is still being withheld by the Secret Service,
sprayed brown paint all over the Blue Room of the White House, causing
significant damage to the interior of the room, as well as to two "priceless"
marble statues that were built in 1815, of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo
Vespucci.
We learn here at the Secret Service is now CLAIMING that they DID see the
three inch can of spray paint inside of this woman's purse, during the initial
security screening examination of all White House visitors, but the the Agents
CHOSE not to confiscate the three inch can, because, "A can of spray paint is
not itself a security issue and there was nothing to indicate any kind of
suspect behavior", according to a spokeswoman for the Secret Service.
Interesting. This spokeswoman MIGHT even be telling the truth. However, It is
equally possible that the Secret Service did NOT see the can of spray paint,
and is only SAYING that it did now, in retrospect, as a way of DENYING and
suppressing the fact of a genuine security breech.
White House official are downplaying the extent of the damage to the two
statues and the Blue Room itself, but still REFUSE to allow ANY news ot TV
cameras inside the Blue Room, to film the damage. As I said before, this is an
outrageous freedom of the press violation. The act that this woman committed is
a newsworthy event, that took place in the most famous and well-known building
in the entire WORLD. There is NO legitimate security reason for why the media
is not allowed to film and record for posterity, the RESULTS of what this woman
did, with video or still cameras.
Still no word on any possible motive, or if the woman spray-painted actual
WORDS, rather than just spraying the paint randomly.
Disclaimer: This Usenet post is made for informational and fact dissemination
purposes only. The author does not condone or advocate any illegal or
anti-governmental act.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of today's Associated Press news wire:
Woman apprehended while spraying paint in White House Blue Room
January 13, 1998
By Sandra Sobieraj, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) A woman touring the White House sprayed rusty brown paint in
the Blue Room on Tuesday, marring two historic sculptures, officials said.
The woman, whose 3-inch paint can had been seen but not confiscated from her
purse by Secret Service agents, was being charged with destruction of property.
Officials would not identify her or comment on a possible motive.
According to White House press secretary Mike McCurry, the woman caused more
than $1,000 damage to the room's wall covering and defaced two "rather
priceless'' marble busts of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci. The
statues date to 1815 and are among the oldest sculptures in the White House
collection.
McCurry played down the extent of the damage as resembling "a bad rouge job on
the busts.'' Still, he refused to let news cameras film the damage, saying he
did not want to encourage copycat vandals.
The woman was described as between the ages of 30 and 35. "I'm told she was
taken into custody and was rather calm about it,'' McCurry said.
She was on one of the White House's daily public tours when, just after noon,
she took out the paint can and sprayed the sculptures, which were on five-foot
pedestals, Secret Service spokesman Arnette Heintz said. She was interrupted by
a nearby uniformed Secret Service agent and taken into custody.
The two busts will be removed for repair by a National Gallery conservator, but
tours of the mansion, which accommodates some 2 million tourists each year
will not otherwise be affected.
"This is one of the only residences in the world that's open for public tour,
and the Clintons think that's an important principle to maintain,'' McCurry
said.
Tourists and their handbags are screened by security agents before entering the
White House gates. Heintz said agents detected the woman's paint can, along
with a similarly sized container of hairspray, but did not confiscate it
because "a can of spray paint itself is not a security issue and there was
nothing to indicate any kind of suspect behavior.''
Joe1orbit
Hello,
I spent 20 minutes searching for additional info on yesterday's White House
Blue Room spraypainting vandal. All I found was the below update, which only
contains very minor additions to yesterday's news wire stories. The Washington
Post is the newspaper of record in D.C.,and yet they chose to bury this news
story on an inside page in the "Metro" section. Interesting how the White House
is able to dictate what stories receive major media coverage. If the White
House had allowed photographers into the Blue Room, to photograph and videotape
all of the damage, there is little doubt that the photos would at least have
appeared on the front page, or in the main section, of many newspapers.
Anyway, we still do not have ANY name for this "unidentified White woman in
her 30's", that committed this impressive act of White House vandalism
yesterday. The Secret Service SAYS that "The woman declined to identify
herself". Ha! So what if she "declined", the police searched through her purse,
pockets, clothes, and did a body cavity search on her, immediately after
arresting her. No word on what type of ID she was carrying. But it is UNLIKELY
that the woman did not have ANY traceable piece of ID on her. Police say they
intend to charge her with destruction of government property, and that she will
appear in U.S. district court, TODAY, for a hearing. NOW is the time for the
media to stop being slaves to the government, and give us the name, as well as
video footage, of this woman, as she enters and exits the courtroom. One can
only hope that this info will be furnished by the media to us, today.
A Secret Service spokeswoman REFUSES to say whether the woman gave the Secret
Reason any REASON as to why she committed this spray-painting act of vandalism.
That is OUTRAGEOUS. The Secret Service should be OBLIGATED to release this type
of information. The woman is in CUSTODY. She poses NO threat of any kind to
anyone. There is no logical security reason for why the Secret Service would
refuse to tell us whether the woman gave them a reason or explanation for her
actions.
We learn here that the last incident of genuine vandalism to occur INSIDE of
the White House mansion itself, was in 1973, 25 YEARS ago! That is a hell of a
long time ago, and it makes this incident yesterday even more newsworthy. And
yet the media is sitting on it's collective asses, and allowing White House
officials to DICTATE and RESTRICT media coverage.
I will continue to try and find additional info on this incident.
Disclaimer: This Usenet post is made for informational purposes only. The
author does not condone or advocate any type of criminal act, and specifically
condemns acts of violence against any governmental entity or official.
Take care, JOE
The following appears courtesy of the 1/14/98 online edition of The
Washington Post newspaper:
Tourist at White House Defaces 2 Sculptures With Spray Paint
By Maria Elena Fernandez
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 14, 1998
A woman taking a guided group tour of the White House yesterday pulled a small
container of touch-up paint from her purse and began spraying it in the
historic Blue Room, marring the room's wall covering and damaging two of the
executive mansion's oldest sculptures, officials said.
The woman, who was arrested by uniformed Secret Service officers, did not
attempt to hide the container of rust-colored paint, according to Secret
Service spokesman Arnette Heintze. The woman, whose identity was not released,
was allowed to enter the White House for a public tour shortly after noon with
the paint container and a small can of hair spray in her purse, Heintze said.
She pulled out the paint in the first-floor Blue Room, halfway through the
tour.
"This particular purse had a couple of items," Heintze said. "The small,
miniature [paint] can was one of them. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but
there was no indication at the time that there was anything to be concerned
about."
White House spokesman Michael McCurry said the woman caused more than $1,000 in
damage to the Blue Room's wall covering and an undetermined amount of damage to
"rather priceless" busts of Christopher Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci, each
nearly two centuries old. The marble sculptures were removed from their
five-foot pedestals and will be examined by specialists at the National Gallery
of Art, officials said.
McCurry said the woman was spotted by a uniformed Secret Service officer as she
began spraying the paint, and the officer arrested her. "I am told she was
rather calm about it," McCurry said.
Authorities said the woman declined to identify herself. They said last night
that they intend to charge her with destruction of government property and that
she likely will appear in U.S. District Court today for an initial hearing.
Heintze would not say whether the woman gave a reason for defacing the busts,
which were carved about 1815 and purchased for the White House in 1817. The
busts were modeled by 18th-century Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi, then
carved by others after Ceracchi's death in 1801.
McCurry said he was aware of no evidence that the woman had been seeking to
make a political statement. "It looks like a bad rouge job on the busts and
slight damage on the wall," he said. "Just blotches of paint."
About 2 million people visit the White House annually, Heintze said.
The last reported incident of vandalism inside the mansion was in 1973, when a
man and women left a public tour and splashed six vials of blood on walls and
furniture in the State Dining Room. The couple, who were arrested, shouted that
the blood was a symbol of the suffering of oppressed people. They later said
they had collected the blood from friends.
In recent years, the mansion has been the site of more dangerous incidents of
bizarre behavior. On Sept. 12, 1994, a 38-year-old Maryland man died after
stealing a small plane and intentionally crashing it on the White House
grounds. Three months later, a 26-year-old Colorado man opened fire with a
military-style semiautomatic weapon on Pennsylvania Avenue, spraying the White
House with more than two dozen bullets.
But public tours have seldom been disrupted, and McCurry said they will
continue despite yesterday's vandalism.
"It is rare that Americans who are in the residence . . . conduct that kind of
defacement," McCurry said. "I think it speaks well of the American people that
it is awfully rare that this kind of thing happens."
According to a guide book published by the White House Historical Association,
the oval-shaped Blue Room, so named in 1837 because of its blue wall covering
at the time, "was completely redecorated in 1972 with many of the furnishings
in the French Empire style -- the decor chosen for the room by President James
Monroe in 1817." The sculptures defaced yesterday are just two of many antiques
in the room. The room was refurbished in 1995 at a cost of $358,000, paid for
by donations.
"This president and this first lady are committed to keeping the residence open
to the American public," McCurry said. "This is one of the only residences in
the world that's open for public tour, and the Clintons think that's an
important principle to maintain."
a. tawil
Hi all,
On 13 Jan 1998, Joe1orbit wrote:
> We learn here at the Secret Service is now CLAIMING that they DID see the
> three inch can of spray paint inside of this woman's purse, during the initial
> security screening examination of all White House visitors, but the the Agents
> CHOSE not to confiscate the three inch can, because, "A can of spray paint is
> not itself a security issue and there was nothing to indicate any kind of
> suspect behavior", according to a spokeswoman for the Secret Service.
Oh give me a f--king break! (Not you Joe, the Secret Service :) ) What
if that woman had a cigarette lighter in her purse too? Okay kids, you do
the math: Flamable substance in aeresol can plus cigarette lighter equals
instant flame thrower.
I knew someone who got a keychain confiscated on a white house tour. The
keychain was shaped like a cat's head, and they took it away because they
said that the ears were sharp, therefore the keychain was a weapon. Not
only that, but they took her name down for "trying to bring a weapon into
the white house." So we have Secret Service agents who take key chains,
but let an object with real potential danger get through. Nice work guys.
Have fun standing in the unemployment line. If I were the President, I'd
fire these idiots.
Peace,
Andrea
xs...@pitnet.net
.. yeah.. there is a common sense reason and that is to stop idiots from
copying her actions.. as a taxpayer, I dont want all those uncreative wanna
be's out there damaging our priceless artwork... solo
On 13 Jan 1998 20:06:06 GMT, joe1...@aol.com (Joe1orbit) wrote:
> White House officials are REFUSING to allow news crews to enter the Blue
Room and FILM the spraypainting that was done. This is a CLEAR violation of
freedom of the press laws. There is ABSOLUTELY no legitimate SECURITY reason
remove x in xs...@pitnet.net to send email
Joe1orbit
xs...@pitnet.net Wrote:
>.. yeah.. there is a common sense reason and that is to stop idiots from
>copying her actions..
Hello solo,
There may be a common-sense reason, but there is no legitimare security
reason. The right of the media to report, fully and accurately, on this white
House vandalism incident, far outweighs the right of the government to censor
and suppress the true facts of exactly what this woman spray-painted in the
Blue Room. The right of each citizen to view and learn ALL the details of this
damage, likewise outweighs any so-called governmental concern regarding the
possibility of copycat vandalism.
>as a taxpayer, I dont want all those uncreative wanna
>be's out there damaging our priceless artwork...
Well, I respect all vandals, and their right to express themselves as they
see fit. The government should have been legally obligated to provide the
media, especially film and still photographers, with full acccess to the Blue
room, immediately after the incident, since there was no legitimate security
reason for access to be denied.
Take care, JOE
tribe
Joe1orbit wrote: "The government should have been legally obligated
to provide the
media, especially film and still photographers, with full acccess
to the Blue
room, immediately after the incident, since there was no legitimate
security
reason for access to be denied."
IMO, the goverment was correct to deny access to the Blue Room following
the incident. (I am usually in favor of NOT denying the media access to
any news story, but I take exception here.) This country has a remarkable
amount of priceless artwork in it's public buildings, and preventing the
media from reporting on and taping the actual damage done to these pieces
serves to prevent any other copycat from damaging and ruining artwork in
the future, and you know there would have been attempts made to copy exactly
what this woman had done. I am sure one factor in the goverment's decision
must have been an effort to squash criticism of the Secret Service, and
I do not condone that. ---Tribe
xs...@pitnet.net
.. there are limits to everything.. giving the press access in this case
crosses the line.. it is in a sense, those people's home.. and it is the seat
of the power of the president of this country, whomever may be occupying that
seat.. heavens know I am an iconoclast, but there must be some degree of
dignity left to those who represent us to the world.. and dignity of the
place they operate from .. tearing things down without a plan for rebuilding
is what children do.. solo
On 15 Jan 1998 12:50:44 GMT, joe1...@aol.com (Joe1orbit) wrote:
> There may be a common-sense reason, but there is no legitimare security
>reason. The right of the media to report, fully and accurately, on this white
>House vandalism incident, far outweighs the right of the government to censor
>and suppress the true facts of exactly what this woman spray-painted in the
>Blue Room.