Davey Hearn, the Olympic canoeist accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool, will headline a protest at Hains Point this Sunday.
Hearn, who was charged and ultimately acquitted on felony destruction of property charges, will join the Washington Area Bicyclists Association at a demonstration rally and bike ride at Hains Point to protest the opaque process surrounding President Trump’s proposed redevelopment of the East Potomac Golf Links.
“Davey will speak to us about the importance of standing up for our rights and celebrating these great spaces,” says WABA’s Kalli Krumpos. “We’re really hoping to demonstrate the kind of national importance of following procedure for transparency, accountability, and ensuring that our public spaces continue to serve the needs of the public,” she says.
Since his acquittal, Hearn has gone on offence, pushing in court for the charges against him to be dropped with prejudice. He recently said of that effort, “It’s not about me, it’s about saving democracy.”
Similarly, says WABA, this protest is less about cycling than about democracy. Officials from the Trump administration have been seen carrying maps of East Potomac Park that do not match those released to the public, and WABA, along with US Representative Don Beyer of Virginia and other partners, wants to know what’s going on.
“It seems like there are plans” for the redevelopment, Krumpos says, “but we haven’t had access to them. It’s hard to know what to expect.” WABA hopes for a chance to weigh in on any changes to the public space. “We’re trying to stand up for the rights of DC residents and for all residents concerned about how the federal government may not be following their own processes,” Krumpos says.
On Wednesday, WABA will lead a group bike ride down a single lane of Connecticut Avenue during the morning commute in support of a once-promised—and since scrapped—plan to add permanent bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue. That road is one of the main arteries in and out of the city, and is one of a number of streets and traffic circles that make up what the District Department of Transportation calls a High Injury Network.
“Those are the streets where we see the most crashes, the most injuries, [and] the most fatalities,” Krumpos says. The 2020 proposal to add bike lanes to the artery “was truly a safety improvement project” she says. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser did an about-face on her prior commitment to install bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue in 2024. WABA is hopeful that with a new council and new mayor incoming, the plan might yet see the light of day.
Krumpos notes that Janeese Lewis George, DC’s presumptive next mayor, includes support for protected bike lanes in her campaign platform and posed last fall with a Capital Bikeshare bike for a post celebrating the opening of the Metropolitan Branch Trail. (If Janeese Lewis George does become mayor, this DC resident hopes she will opt to wear a helmet for any future rides.)
2026 has been a busy year for WABA. Earlier this year, WABA successfully sued the Trump Administration for improperly attempting to remove the protected bike lanes on 15th Street near the National Mall. Like Hearn, the organization sees a larger goal for its demonstrations. “What’s happening here affects people throughout the country,” says Seth Grimes, who will lead Wednesday’s ride.
