The memorial, part of Young America’s Foundation’s 9/11: Never Forget Project, consisted of one flag for each of the 2,977 victims of the attacks. Occidental’s conservative student group placed the flags into the ground to honor the lives lost on the anniversary of Sept. 11. A statement released on their Facebook page explained what went down: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.Truly disgusting.
9/11: Never Forget Project memorials have been targeted by leftists across the country over the last few days. Clearly the project is more important now than ever before.
