http://www.whittierdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,207~12026~1234836,00.html Antiwar protesters trash 9/11 memorial American flags burned and slashed By Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, Staff Writer LA HABRA -- Antiwar protesters burned and ripped up flags, flowers and patriotic signs at a Sept. 11 memorial that residents erected on a fence along Whittier Boulevard days after the terrorist attacks in 2001 and have maintained ever since. However, although officers witnessed the vandalism Saturday afternoon, police did not arrest three people seen damaging the display because they were "exercising the same freedom of speech that the people who put up the flags were,' La Habra Police Capt. John Rees said Monday. "For this to be vandalism, there had to be an ill-will intent,' he said. Rees said in order for police to take any action, the owner of the fence would have to file a complaint. Jeff Collison, owner of The RV Center in La Habra, who has allowed residents to add patriotic symbols to the fence on his property, said he just might do that. "Their free speech stops at destruction of private property. If they are allowed to come on my property and burn flags, does that mean I can go to City Hall or the police station and light their flags on fire because that is freedom of speech? To me, this is vandalism,' Collison said. Some residents Monday hung signs criticizing those who destroyed the display. Tracey Chandler, a Whittier mother of four who has maintained the spontaneous memorial since it was created by other area residents soon after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said she was shocked by the destruction. "They trashed 87 flags, ripped 11 memorial tiles made by myself and my children out of the ground and glued the Bob Dylan song to a sign that said, 'America, land of the brave, home of the free,' ' she said. The Bob Dylan song she referred to is "With God on Our Side,' an antiwar anthem of the 1960s. "It's unbelievable, because there were absolutely no political messages on this fence. It was all about supporting our troops, which could mean bringing them home, and about remembering 9-11.' Les Howard, a sociology professor at Whittier College, said the incident might be an indication of some confusion among people trying to stop a possible war against Iraq but uncertain how to express their sentiments. However, he said he does not condone the destruction of symbols important to those who erect them. "Some think (the best way to support the troops) is to not question their role. Some think the best way is to pursue all means possible to avoid putting them in danger,' he said. "That still does not excuse any desecration of people's symbolic participation.' Chandler said she plans to rebuild the Sept. 11 memorial. "We are going to rebuild this memorial, and it will be brighter, bigger and better than ever,' Chandler said.
Stupid and criminal. (FWIW, many of us are upset with the French, but I bet you would be hard-pressed to find any French who would do this to a 9-11 memorial)
Awful. What do they expect to accomplish by this? It wasn't like this memorial was any detriment to their beliefs. There's nothing more damaging to a cause than block-headed insensitivity like this.
What a bunch of morons. And what's with the police? Destroying private property is okay until someone files a complaint? Geez...
did they leave behind stuff that said, NO WAR IN IRAQ or other telling signs? I mean, this could've been done by vandals or gang kids!? are they just pinning it on anti-war protesters, was there a demonstration going on near-by? no where in the article or in the picture posted on the article does it prove that they were anti-war? it's a pretty vague article about 3 people who destroyed a beloved memorial to 9/11... nowhere does it say they were anti-war other than the fact that the writer used the term 'anti-war'... regardless, it is disrespectful. i don't think because a group of vandals destroyed a 9/11 memorial, they should automatically and immediately be labeled 'anti-war' protesters.
rH: it doesn't sound like your run of the mill vandalism, definite political message here. ...and glued the Bob Dylan song to a sign that said, 'America, land of the brave, home of the free,' ' she said. The Bob Dylan song she referred to is "With God on Our Side,' an antiwar anthem of the 1960s.
gotcha... i misread that as if they had made the sign.. my bad. anti-war protesters bad, everyone else good... got it.
In my estimation, more misery has been created by reformers than by any other force in human history. Show me someone who says, "Something must be done!" and I will show you a head full of vicious intentions that have no other outlet. What we must strive for always! is to find the natural flow and go with it. --The Reverent Mother Taraza, Conversational Record, BG File GSXXMAT9
This is so stupid. These people are either morons or agent provacateurs of the type we had during the Vietnam War. For those of you not up on the 1960's protest movements, the Black Panthers etc. , at times the most stupid, violent, non-productive actions were urged by government agents who had infiltrated the various groups and were trying to discredit them. I know conspiracy, conspiracy, but this has been proven and it doesn't take a tactical genius to figure out that this is an effective means of discreditting a group taking a valid position.
In my estimation, more misery has been created by reformers than by any other force in human history. Do you mean like Bush and company who want to reform the wholeMiddle East?
Nice. I'm sure Mother T was expressing her strong support for pre-emptive wars. She would never stand up against something like killing people, since that would make her a dreaded "reformer."
Reform???? Wrong?? We'd still be under British rule paying taxes to the Queen if this were true!! How could anyone in this country destroy a 9/11 memorial??? We should send them to Afghanistan and see how Al-Queda treats them.
