Etchings at 9/11 Memorial Are Called Both Anguished Tributes and Vandalism - NYTimes.com
The panels at the National September 11 Memorial containing the victims’ names must constantly be inspected for graffiti scratched into the bronze surfaces, a memorial spokesman said on Tuesday.
“While there have been instances when scratches have been discovered on the bronze panels of the memorial, our staff works very hard to address them immediately,” the spokesman, Michael Frazier, said in a statement. “The panels are cared for by hand and with a deep sense of responsibility and sensitivity by our dedicated staff.”
An article in The New York Post on Tuesday said that about “40 anguished messages” had been scratched into the panels, seemingly by victims’ friends and family members wanting to leave tributes.
Given that the messages were typically expressions of “love, grief and remembrance,” The Post said, “law-enforcement officials have declined to pursue investigations based on possible footage of the vandals in action.”
“There have been no reports of disrespectful scratchiti,” the article said.
A visit to the memorial on Tuesday afternoon painted a different picture.
