Environmentalists deface Donald Trump's California golf course
The act of vandalism was done in protest to the administration's cuts to Environmental Protection Agency's budget and its stance on climate change
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Your support makes all the difference.Environmental activists carved a message of protest into the green of President Trump’s premier California golf course.
The Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes has photo and video of five people sneaking onto the greens at night and defacing the private property.
Using rakes, the group carved a large swathe of the greens at the fifth hole with the message “No More Tigers, No More Woods,” in a nod to championship golfer Tiger Woods.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department was called but the request for help was cancelled by the golf course before authorities arrived. No investigation is currently underway.
The golf course is listed as “one of the most expensive golf courses ever built” on its website, which also states over $250 million has been spent on it.
The police estimated $20,000 of damage was done, according to local television station KABC.
KABC also reported that the group issued a statement and was able to speak with one of the activists.
The activist, speaking to media under condition of anonymity, called the defacing “a protest piece against Trump's administration's handling of our environmental policies.” The activist also told the Washington Post that Mr Trump was in the wrong because “repurposing what was once a beautiful stretch of land into a playground for the privileged is an environmental crime."
Recently, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Scott Pruitt drew criticism for saying climate change was not caused by humans despite numerous studies and scientific evidence stating otherwise.
Mr Trump’s proposed budget has also come under fire for cutting the EPA budget by nearly 25 per cent.
This includes cuts to funding for sewage treatment facilities and cleanup of the Great Lakes bordering Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and other states - the majority of which Mr Trump won in the 2016 election.
The proposed austerity budget also includes a 14 per cent cut to the US Coast Guard, primarily a maritime security agency but also conducts ocean and shore life preservation, protection of endangered species, and prevention of oil spills and illegal dumping.
In its statement, the activist group called global warming a “humanitarian crisis” and referred to Mr Trump as “King Puppet,” in reference to his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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