Woman charged with marring D.C. landmarks ordered to psychiatric ward

[Generic Other]

The woman arrested in connection with spattering city landmarks with green paint last month has been moved from a half-way house to a psychiatric ward, her attorney said Thursday during a hearing in D.C. Superior Court.

Judge A. Franklin Burgess Jr. ordered another hearing Sept. 18, for 58-year-old Jiamei Tian, who is charged with one count of defacing property. She was arrested July 29 at Washington National Cathedral shortly after authorities discovered paint on an organ in the Bethlehem Chapel and in the cathedral’s Children’s Chapel.

Authorities have said Tian, who they believe is homeless, is a suspect in the vandalism in which green paint was used to mar the Lincoln Memorial, a statue next to the Smithsonian Castle on the Mall and two places at Thomas Circle, Luther Place Memorial Church and a statue of Martin Luther.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/woman-charged-with-marring-dc-landmarks-ordered-to-psychiatric-ward/2013/08/29/1236944e-10b7-11e3-8cdd-bcdc09410972_story.html?hpid=z3

I wonder if she thinks she's making some kind of political statement?

[Blue_Tires]

1. I'll confess: I first read it as "marrying D.C. landmarks"

which would have opened up another universe of weirdness

[LeftofObama]

2. I did too.

I thought, "WTF"?

[Aerows]

5. That's what I read, too

I was like What?

[theHandpuppet]

3. I hope she can now get the care she needs

From all reports she had absolutely no support system, could barely speak English, had no home and no money. I guess you couldn't have been more desperate or more confused than Ms Tian.

[Generic Other]

4. In a book called Wisconsin Death Trip

I read about a woman they called "Window Breaking" Mary an ex-schoolteacher who was repeatedly jailed for breaking all the windows on Main Street in a number of small towns. They usually just put her on the train heading to the next town, but finally institutionalized her.

I wonder what Tian's story is. She certainly found a dramatic way to draw attention to her plight. I can sympathize with her to a point. I just wish the safety net that should have helped hadn't been yanked out from under her.