Officials to Decide Fate of Vandalized Sept. 11 Memorial

But officials said Wednesday that they are considering letting the vandalism remain as a symbol of free expression.

The tribute, a black barricade with painted hand prints, messages and inspirational quotes, was erected Sept. 19 to serve as a memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The vandals crossed out messages of peace and scratched words like "more murder" into the black boards that compose the tribute.

Amy Brannock, director of ArtsCarolina, the group that organized the tribute, said she first saw the vandalism when she went to view the memorial at lunchtime Wednesday. "Obviously I feel sad about it," she said. "But I also feel like a huge part of what we need to do as a free society is allow people to express their opinions." But Brannock also said people should respect one another's viewpoints.

Art Professor Beth Grabowski, who helped organize the memorial, said she hadn't seen the vandalism yet but that she had been worried that it might happen.

Grabowski said people have a right to express their opinions but that other ways are more appropriate. "The fact that they did it in a counterattack kind of way is obnoxious," she said.

Brannock said officials would decide the memorial's fate -- including whether the vandalism will be fixed and when the memorial will be removed from Polk Place -- at a meeting next week.

Brannock said she feels uncomfortable removing the vandalism because the point of the memorial is to give members of the community a chance to express their views, even if those views are negative.

But she added that officials likely would decide to cover up any blatantly racist or profane remarks that might appear on the memorial.

Maj. Jeff McCracken of University police said Wednesday that the incident had not yet been reported, but he said an officer would go to Polk Place and investigate the matter.

McCracken said vandalism is not a widespread problem on campus but that it is difficult to catch those responsible. Because the police department was not aware of the incident before Wednesday, McCracken said no investigation had begun and that there are no suspects.

When the memorial was first constructed, Brannock said there was a campus police officer stationed at the site 24 hours a day. But after the first week, there were no extra measures taken to ensure the safety of the monument.

Students viewing and sitting by the memorial Wednesday said the vandalism wasn't noticeable but said they were dismayed when they did see it.

"It's not that obvious, but it's still pretty bad that someone did that," said Kaitlin Hocutt, a freshman from Middlesex.

Sandy Greene, a sophomore from Bostic, echoed Hocutt's sentiments. "I think it's really sad that people would try to disfigure or destroy other people's expressions."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.