In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, a group of about 30 volunteers from Project 351, a nonprofit that fosters leadership skills in young people via community work, planted 2,997 American flags at the Arlington Street entrance to the Public Garden – one to honor each life lost at each of the three sites of the terror attacks.
Only hours after the flags were planted in the park on the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 8, a number of the flags had been damaged or uprooted, while signs explaining the significance of the memorial went missing and trash cans in the area were upturned. Several good Samaritan passing by the memorial replanted the flags, and according to published reports, Boston Police, a suspect believed to be responsible for the acts of vandalism had been identified.
