Help Uphold Freedom of Speech and Honor our Veterans

As a ten-year veteran and an American citizen, I am intensely moved to pen down this plea to restore our rights. It appalls me that a memorial dedicated to a fellow veteran, Aaron Bushnell, who paid the ultimate sacrifice at the altar of free speech, is now off-limits to the public. 

The State Department, on behalf of a foreign nation, has erected barriers, restricting us from maintaining the memorial and the adjacent public sidewalk on International Drive in Washington, D.C. 

This unanticipated development prevents us from laying fresh flowers, presenting community offerings, and clearing away wilting blooms and weeds; a tradition we hold dear. It's beyond atrocious, downright an affront to the liberty to which Aaron pledged his life and the very freedom I served a decade in the military to defend.

It is our right to have public access to public spaces and it is our duty to honor and remember those who fought for our rights.

I urge the decision-makers at the State Department, to reconsider their stance, to respect the sacrifices of Aaron Bushnell, brave veterans like him, and the rights of the local community. Together, we can turn this around and restore dignity and honor to Aaron's memorial and our community. Please sign this petition in support of reinstating public access to the Aaron Bushnell Memorial and Sidewalk.