VIDEO: American Flags Honoring 9/11 Victims Damaged

Numerous American flags placed at the Public Garden in Boston honoring victims of 9/11 were apparently damaged not long after the display was set up.

“On Wednesday, 2,997 American flags were planted. Each represents someone who died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,” CBS Boston reported.

However, on Thursday morning many of the flags had been bent, snapped in two, or uprooted and strewn across the sidewalk. Trash cans nearby were also toppled and signs noting the memorial’s significance were missing.

Police told the outlet detectives were investigating the case as vandalism.

Reporter Nick Giovanni shared video footage Thursday of the scene at the park:

In a subsequent post, he shared a photo of a woman kneeling among the flags, writing, “Ashton Fagan felt compelled to stop while on a walk through the Public Garden to help pick up some of the American flags uprooted overnight”:

Approximately 30 people with Project 351 placed the flags on Wednesday and encouraged citizens to perform acts of kindness and service to honor those lost on September 11.

Carolyn Casey, who is the executive director and founder of the project, described the apparent vandalism as “heartbreaking and disappointing.”

“I just don’t understand, honestly, what would motivate somebody to do something like this,” she said.

Boston 25 News posted video on Facebook Wednesday of volunteers creating the display:

Casey added that watching people be enthusiastic about restoring the display was inspiring.

“It says that the best of our humanity is what gets us through every challenge or any challenge,” she commented. “But as we know in Boston and Massachusetts, any time there is a challenge or there are acts of hatred, people respond with love, with unity, and community.”

“That’s what happened when I walked in this morning. There were all these people who had just stopped, or saw it on the news and came down to make sure all the flags were still up,” she concluded.