Antiwar protesters trash 9/11 memorial!(blood pressure riser)

Wittier Dlily news ^ | 3-11-03 | OXENinFLA

[OXENinFLA]

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.

[Quix]

And the percentage of IDIOTS

to sane people in NYC is what?

And the 'normal' people put up with such hideousness?

God, we've really sunk to new lows. Have mercy and save us from ourselves!

[sheik yerbouty]

The sad truth in Caliban territory.

[Trueblackman]

True that and 100% Guts for all those who stand up and support our troops and their families. This looks like a job for the Ca. Freepers with the support of other Freepers.

[JustPiper]

These people need to be found!

How far are the tarpits?

[Smogger]

That is California.

No that is LA County. California is a huge state. Stop lumping us all together. It really pisses me off.

[Inspectorette]

Dittos - California is a state with nearly 35,000,000 people. We're bound to have our share of a**holes, but, Becki, please remember that California is also the birthplace of Free Republic!

[fightin kentuckian]

I phoned the watch desk at the police station in that town to voice my displeasure with the events depicted in the article.

I was suprised to find that I was the only person who had phoned to do so. The desk sgt tried to explain the dept's position and I told him that that didn't matter and that I still wanted to go on record that I didn't approve of the conduct of the protestors or the police in this situation.

the desk sgt also told me that part of the reason that nothing was done was bacause of advice of the city atty and the fact that the person who owned the property had said nothing.

I tried to point that there was an intimidation factor when people are on your property going bezerk. Did it occour to the police that the property owner may be frightened to speak out. The desk sgt sounded sympathetic but his hands were tied. oh well.

By the way, he was pretty suprized that I was an active duty soldier calling from germany. He said he had a son on active duty in Korea and told me to take care and be careful.

I wish more people would call in and voice their displeasure with the handeling of this case.

[jjm2111]

I'm gonna call later when I get a break from the office. This is pretty retarted.

[cop_4_ever]

Hey, whatever turns you on....

If I cuff her to the stove she wont be able to reach the computer. This way there will be no further breach of information! The only problem I have is...both sets of cuff's are in my locker at work. I will have to improvise.

[American Preservative]

PING!

[Smogger]

Ooops.. Don't call the City of Whittier to complain as the incident took place in the adjacent city of La Habra. It figures because to be honest Whittier is an older conservative suburb with bucks. It really didn't strike me as something that would take place there.

City Offices Are Located at: 201 E. La Habra Boulevard La Habra, CA 90631

Phone Numbers: 714/526-2227 562/905-9700

City Council Mailing Address is:
P.O. Box 337,
La Habra, CA 90633

Councilmembers can be reached at:

(562) 905-9701

Mayor
Juan Garcia

Mayor Pro Tem
Rose Espinoza

Council Member
Steve Anderson

Council Member
James Gomez

Council Member
G. Steve Simonian

Call call call. Find out their opinions of the incident and then report back.

[jonalvy44]

time to start tar and feathering

[Smogger]

Remember folks calling the Mayor and City Council will have a far greater affect then calling the police department.

[tomswiftjr]

These creeps must have warmed up in Idaho!
Vandals damage monument to victims of Sept. 11 terror attacks
Ink soaks into rock under U.S. flag on Freezeout Hill

Katherine Jones / The Idaho Statesman
The monument on Freezeout Hill above Emmett — a flagpole and tribute to the people killed and injured in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America — was Jim Olson´s idea and dream. Sometime late Tuesday or early Wednesday, vandals splattered printer ink over the stone. “My heart just sunk when I saw it,” he said. Repairs will cost about $3,000, he said.

Emmett community members are determined to restore a Sept. 11 victims´ monument that was defaced by vandals late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Glass jars filled with printer ink were thrown against the stone monument on Freezeout Hill, and the black ink soaked into the porous beige rock, Gem County Sheriff´s Detective Dave Timony said.

Investigators found three salsa jars at the scene, along with several ink-smeared beer cans, Timony said. The jars, filled with ink, were thrown against the stone monument and at the flag overlooking the community, he said. The flag wasn´t damaged, but a dedication plaque under the flag was splattered with ink, Timony said.

Investigators are now working to obtain fingerprints from the ink residue on the beer cans, Timony said.

While detectives work to find the vandals, community members are figuring out how to raise the money needed to repair the monument.

Because some of the ink was found in pools on the gravel at the monument, investigators believe the vandalism occurred less than 12 hours before it was discovered by an Emmett resident driving to work on Idaho 16 about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jim Olson said.

Olson, a member of American Legion Post 49, helped raise money, along with other legion members, to construct the memorial to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It took a year and $22,000 in cash, equipment and material donations to build the memorial, Olson said.

Now, he said, it will take an estimated $3,000 to resurface the stone and replace the etchings.

“My heart just sunk when I saw it,” Olson said. “All the time and effort that went into this. It´s so despicable.”

The American Legion post will meet tonight and discuss what to do next, Olson said.

Emmett residents and community leaders began arriving at monument site beside Idaho 16 shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday to see the engraved monument splattered with black printer ink.

“It´s worse than I thought it would be,” American Legion member Shane Mettler said Wednesday. “I haven´t seen stuff like this since I lived in California. It´s a shame.”

Bob Fontaine, Emmett School District superintendent, went to the memorial after work Wednesday to see the extent of the damage. Emmett students from kindergarten through high school had helped raise money for the monument, he said.

A dance was organized by the high school students to raise money, and many kindergarten children earned money by doing chores at home. Olson said 23 coffee cans were placed around Emmett to collect funds for the project.

“There´s a lot of community ownership in this,” Fontaine said.

To offer story ideas or comments, contact Chereen Langrill
cdlangrill@idahostatesman.com or 208-373-6617

Edition Date: 02-20-2003

[Mr. Mojo]

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,'

Hey moron....vandalism is NOT freedom of speech.

[Florida_Freeper]

When you get home from work, I will cuff you to the stove!!!!

Hey, whatever turns you on....

I tried that once and still dinner wasn't ready when I got home!

[Humidston]

Interesting slant you mentioned - regarding "front yards."

Reminds me of some kooks who burned a cross in the yard of a black family in Katy, TX. The offenders got jail time and lost a multi-million dollar lawsuit for a hate crime.

Why wouldn't these same principles apply in this case??

[Beck_isright]

I've just copied O'Reilly in on this also. Hopefully he'll jump ugly on these people today.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

I sent this article to the author, I'm also thinking about contacting alot of other people about this inexcusable act;
Dear Debbie,

I wanted to thank you for writing this article exposing the myth
that the anti war movement is inherently "as patriotic as you are."
You shined the light on an action I'm certain will be rationalized,
but because of the unambiguous way you wrote it, cannot be denied.
At no point would anyone I know who hated Clinton consider do anything
remotely similar to the hatefilled anti American actions of these
extremests. Hopefully because this was on Drudge it will bring you
attention from all over the country, you deserve it.

I am writing to ask you to follow up on La Habra Police Capt. John
Rees, the dithering, incompetent excuse for an officer of the law
who enabled this willful malicious act of hate by standing by. I
know you were probably planning on writing a follow up about this
story or him, but if not please consider it. It is very important
that a remonstration against this cowardly excusemaker come to public
attention by appearing in the press, and you look to be the only
person involved capable of do that since this happened over the
weekend and this is the first I'd heard of it.

Please follow up on Rees and these extremists, it is the only practical
way we non-extremists can support our troops.

[xrp]

The memorial was on private property. Next time they need to have someone on guard with one of these: