Plymouth’s 9/11 memorial was vandalized a week after someone defaced the town’s iconic rock
Just one week after Plymouth Rock was vandalized with red graffiti, another beloved memorial in Plymouth, Massachusetts, was found damaged.
This time it was the town’s 9/11 tribute.
A statue of a police officer was knocked over and damaged on Sunday. The firefighter statue that stood next to the police officer was unharmed.
Officials have not yet been able to determine if this vandalism case was related to last week’s when Plymouth Rock and a number of other nearby memorials were covered with red graffiti, according to Plymouth’s Town Manager Melissa Arrighi.
“What (the vandals are) doing is heinous,” Arrighi told CNN. “Between the 9/11 memorial and Plymouth Rock, there is no excuse and there is no reason for this.”
The memorial, revealed in 2004, was funded by Plymouth resident Dick Quintal, who even took out a second mortgage to make it a reality, according to CNN affiliate WCVB.
“At first I was angry, then I was heartbroken and sad,” Quintal told WCVB about the moment police told him his memorial had been vandalized.
The rest of the memorial consists of seven black granite blocks inscribed with the names of the victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks and a steel beam from the World Trade Center, according to local newspaper The Patriot Ledger.
“Just think about it if this had your family’s name on the memorial, how would you feel?” Ken Devora, chairman of the Board of Selectmen told WCVB.
The investigations of the two vandalism cases are ongoing, but Arrighi said the quick support from the community and city authorities was heartening.
“Our firefighters jumped to action almost immediately,” Arrighi said. “When something bad occurs, the residents and community jump in.”
The statue of the police officer is being restored pro bono by a local company, according to Arrighi.
“I can’t thank everybody enough for the outpouring of concern, outrage, support and offers to help,” Arrighi said.
The Plymouth Police Department did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for additional information.
