Poop-emoji statue near US Capitol evokes stain of Jan. 6 riot

By Bo Erickson

There is a new temporary statue attracting attention near the U.S. Capitol: a brass-colored desk with poop on top of it.

The feces atop, slightly larger than a soccer ball, looks like the popular iPhone poop emoji without the eyes and sits on top of the approximately six-foot (two-meter) wide desk. Viewed from the right perspective the pyramid of poop traces the outline of the Capitol's famous round dome.

A sign below the desk reveals its purpose: "This memorial honors the brave men and women who broke into the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021 to loot, urinate, and defecate throughout those hallowed halls in order to overturn an election."

"President Trump celebrates these heroes of January 6th as 'unbelievable patriots' and 'warriors.' This monument stands as a testament to their daring sacrifice and lasting legacy," the sign says.

The statue does not identify its origin but a National Park Service permit for the week-long stunt was filed by a group called Civic Crafted LLC. The woman identified on the permit did not respond to a request for comment.

"It's brilliant satire from my perspective," said Washington local Joel Williams, who works for the federal government. "But I just hope that a certain segment of this population don't look at it like a trophy, like 'Oh we did it, we accomplished our goal.'"

Thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump assaulted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn his election loss, which he continues to falsely claim was the result of fraud.

Four people died on a the day of the attack and one Capitol Police officer who fought against the rioters died the next day. Other officers later took their own lives. The Justice Department said the riot caused approximately $1.5 million dollars of damage, and several members of Congress have said feces and urine were used to desecrate the building.

On the campaign trail, Trump has called the Jan. 6 defendants "hostages" and said he would pardon them if he defeats Democrat Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election.

On the backside of the statue is a desk nameplate for Democratic former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reminiscent of the man who put his feet up on her desk.

"If taking a dump on someone's desk is an act of democracy and bravery, then you're wrong," said Aldo Alvarez, a lawyer from Monterrey, Mexico, visiting the nation capital's for his college reunion.