A South Carolina man decided to take on the job that Congress would not, when he mowed the lawn outside the Lincoln Memorial Wednesday afternoon - a task that Park Service employees would usually carry out, but cannot in the wake of government shutdown-induced furloughs.
"These are our memorials," Chris Cox told WNEW-FM radio. "Do they think that we're just going to let them go to h**l? No."
Passerby saw 45-year-old Cox, a chain-saw sculptor from Mount Pleasant, S.C. pushing a dolly piled high with a leaf blower, lawn mower and South Carolina flag. He then plopped his belongings down and got straight to work, fixing up the memorial and the Reflecting Pool that has been left untouched by workers who have been temporarily put off work due to the shutdown. Police chased him away from the lawn, demanding he leave the area, but he'd already done his tidying, in addition to making his mark.
Crowds of people - media included - watched Cox standing on the plaza of the memorial, stating his purpose, the Washington Post reported..
"I figured out that I could play a...valuable role as a janitor, if you will," he announced. "So I started cleaning up the overflowing trash cans. I bought a blower and I've been blowing all of the trails, and today I cut the grass out here. I didn't find it a nuisance to be here. I found it my duty to be here."
Cox also maintained that he didn't have a political stance on the issue of the shutdown in Washington.
"I'm not here to point fingers," he told the crowd. "I only want to inspire people to come out and make a difference. The building behind me serves as a moral compass, not only for our country but for the world. And over my dead body are we going to find trash pouring out of these trash cans. At the end of the day we are the stewards of these buildings that are memorials."
Cox also said that he hoped he would be able to bring in volunteers to help him clean up before the Million Vet March next Sunday.
At least 800,000 federal workers were furloughed last Tuesday, according to the New York Daily News.
