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Posted on 03/11/2003 7:36:56 AM PST by GeorgeBerryman
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.
These are the people who began seething two days after 9-11. They have been complaining about the flag being highjacked, the groundswell of patriotism, (which they are in the processes of redefining) and the "silly" and "divisive" references to "God Bless America".
They would have no respect for anything like this memorial. They are glad it happened.
Becki
The only thing more disturbing than the actual destruction is this cop's laid-back attitude towards vandalism. I had always heard the police have nothing but contempt for the Bill of Rights, but this storm trooper equates property crimes with protected free speech.
Captain Rees might just be the dumbest man on the planet. This is tantamount to saying that physically gagging someone in an effort to thwart their speech is in fact speech in and of itself! By his logic, only the loudest bullhorn, or biggest sign, is entitled to "free" speech. Everyone else is out of luck.
Since I don't believe in being buried in the ground, I guess I can go to any cemetery I want in LaHabra, and destroy as many headstones claiming freedom of speech! Afterall, the headstones were placed there based on that same freedom of speech premise.
And before you go questioning me as to why I won't be buried in the ground, I'll tell you. As a little girl, I recall seeing an old graveyard being dug up to make way for an expressway. I remember seeing bones being bulldozed. From that day on, I vowed that I would never be placed in the ground so that my bones could be moved years later to make way for some highway or shopping mall.
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1. 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.
2. 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.
From their website:americanrvrentals.com
Telephone:(562) 266-1814
FAX:(562) 266-1336
Electronic mail:
General Information- info@americanrvrentals.com
Webmaster: jeff@americanrvrentals.com
I just called Mr. Collison to encourage him to press charges. Be polite if you call.
You may be against this war, FINE. You may even dislike the President and his Policies, FINE. But when you degrade our soldiers that are doing their job, rip up memorials that are also dedicated to them and their service, YOU ARE NOT SUPPORTING OUR (YOUR) TROOPS. If you do not like or even agree with their current "job", then vote out the people who are giving them their "current job". But to take it out on the very people that have sworn to die for you and for what this country believes in is sickening, and you should be more than just ashamed of yourselves. You ARE NOT doing anything close to supporting the military, the only thing your actions do is to remind the soldiers that their are people out there who do not put much thought onto how their actions effect other people. We view the anti-war protesters that do this, as people who are deliberately trying to bring down the morale, and do not know what it means to support the United States. Some say you don't know any better, we say we don't care. We give you alittle more credit than that, so playing "stupid" doesn't cut it for an excuse.
Signed, A SERVICE MEMBER, His wife and the entire family
P.S. -By the way, this time it won't be as easy. God help anyone that comes near a military post to treat the soldiers like they did back during Nam. A lot of us were to young to do anything about those "anti-war" (military) protesters back then, but god help you now.
< /rant>
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