3,000-pound ice sculpture next to Capitol sends harsh message to Trump

WASHINGTON – Democracy literally melted in DC on Wednesday after activists unveiled a 3,000-pound ice sculpture of the word next to the US Capitol, a statement about the weakened state of democracy in the United States under the Trump administration.

The 17-by-5-foot installation, titled “Last Call – DemocracyICED,” is placed on the National Mall during the day. It is expected to slowly disappear over a span of 10 to 12 hours, as DC and Baltimore writers take turns reading entries from historian Heather Cox Richardson’s book. “Letters from an American” every half hour until it runs out.

There is even a live broadcast if people want to see it, and organizers plan to later release a time-lapse video of the sculpture melting into a puddle.

Jen Bender

“It’s a tribute to what is and what was,” said Nora Ligorano, one of the artists behind the sculpture. He stood behind a small lectern set up next to the installation as a few dozen people gathered around him, some involved with the project and others simply passersby wondering what the large block of ice was all about.

“We’ve had to resurrect democracy four times so far, but we’re not sure if we’re going to be able to resurrect it exactly today,” he said, referring to moments in recent history. The other three times, he said, were the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Patriot Act and former President George W. Bush’s so-called war on terrorism.

“Nearly 20 years later, our democracy is much more weakened than it was then, with the continued expansion of executive power, the militarization of our streets, attacks on the rule of law and the weakening of the rights of our voters, the dismantling of public health and scientific research,” Ligorano said. “I mean, there’s a long list.”

Jen Bender

The ice sculpture was commissioned by the Up In Arms campaign, an effort led by Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, to highlight the rise of authoritarianism and militarism in the United States.

Some people spoke at a press event to present the project, including former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, the Rev. William H. Lamar IV of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in D.C., and Rob Weissman, president of the government accountability group Public Citizen.

“The bottom line is that it’s inevitable that this will fade away, but it’s not inevitable that our democracy will fade away,” Weissman said. “So people have to be active, just as they are, and the more we engage… the more chance we have of democracy being restored.”

The prospect of “democracy” melting on a D.C. sidewalk comes days before millions of people in all 50 states plan to participate in “No Kings” rallies protesting Trump’s authoritarianism and militarization of cities. The biggest one is scheduled for DC

“Later this week, one of the largest public demonstrations will take place here and across the country,” Marshall Reese, the other artist behind the sculpture, told attendees. “It’s time for us all to stand up, speak out and save our democracy before it’s too late.”