9/11 flag garden vandalized
Police have identified a suspect in the vandalism of the 9/11 flag memorial garden in Boston Public Garden, which left “scores” of American flags — which represent lives lost in the terrorist attacks — uprooted, toppled over and snapped.
Members of two nonprofits planted 2,997 miniature American flags on the Public Garden Wednesday.
“It’s certainly heartbreaking. I’m thinking of the families. This is a very hard week for them,” said Carolyn Casey, founder of Project 351, who organized the garden with the Mass. 9/11 fund.
The Boston Police Street Outreach Team, which handles disorderly conduct in the city, identified an adult male who allegedly inflicted the damage. He will be summoned to municipal court on a charge of an act of vandalism.
Early Thursday morning, Casey and other organizers got word that the garden was in total disarray. Police responded to the scene just after 8 a.m.
“There were scores of flags down for sure. Some were all the way down, some were tilted or bent,” Casey said.
The damaged flags have since been repaired, and the garden will stay up through Sunday, next to the 9/11 memorial. Casey said organizers are coordinating with the Parks Department to ensure the garden stays intact going forward.
A special section of the garden is dedicated to the 205 Bay Staters who died that day.
Casey told the Herald the damage is particularly galling considering the upcoming 20th anniversary of the tragedy, which affected Americans for years beyond that day.
“I’m also thinking of the military families whose loved ones responded,” she said.
There was some silver lining to the “heartbreaking” morning, Casey noted.
“By the time I got there, there were already volunteers who wanted to be part of recreating the garden — people who had no connection to it. They just wanted to make the garden whole again. I’m just focusing on that spirit of unity.”