September 11 Memorial Flags Crushed And Trashed At Eagle Rock School

Saturday at a local college campus in Eagle Rock, California, a September 11 memorial was vandalized on the 15th anniversary of the day of the terror attacks.

On the quad at Occidental College, a display of 2,997 American flags were placed by an organization called Occidental College Republican Club. A single flag was planted in the ground to represent each of the 9/11 victims who died.

Early on Sunday morning, a group of vandals destroyed the memorial by throwing the flags in the garbage and snapping many of them in half.

After the Occidental College Republican Club saw what happened, they replaced the American flags at their 9/11 memorial. However, four students returned to damage hundreds of them once again. For the rest of the day, students from the Republican club stood on guard at the memorial.

The school released a statement explaining that the students that were responsible for the crimes would be disciplined.

Part of the statement from the school read: “We don’t yet know who is responsible for this incident, but the College is investigating and will take appropriate disciplinary action. If you have any information about this incident, please share that information with us at conduct@oxy.edu.”

The Occidental College Republican Club shared the images on Facebook of the vandalized 9/11 memorial.

The caption posted along with the photos read:

Today is meant to be a day of respect and remembrance for all the victims and heroes of 9/11. Last night, our club sponsored a memorial for the 2,997 who died exactly 15 years ago. Students of all backgrounds came out and planted 2,997 American flags in our quad here at Occidental.

At midnight early this morning, vandals crushed, snapped, and threw in the garbage every single flag. Not one was left in the ground. Not only did they destroy the memorial, they put posters and flyers up that shamed the victims of 9/11.

Most of Occidental was asleep at 1 A.M. but not fifteen of us. Students rallied together to get those flags out of the garbage and up in the quad. This is beyond politics, this is about those lives that were so tragically taken.

Later that morning, a few of us stood guard at the memorial. Four Occidental students came up and snapped a few flags right in our faces. When we confronted them, those cowards got away as fast as they possibly could.

We had thought the storm had passed, however, we were very wrong. This morning, students woke up to another lazy attempt at vandalism. Hundreds of flags kicked and smashed, and fifty or so back in the trash. Of course, we put them back in the ground.

We ask that all students respect the memorial for the remainder of its time in the quad. If you try to destroy it, we will rebuild it.

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.”
-President George W. Bush, 9/11/2001

#NeverForget #OccidentalCollege.

How do you think the vandals should be punished for destroying the 9/11 memorial at Occidental College?

[H/T ABC]