An update
Bigger than ever
People flock to rebuild a tribute to terrorism victims that was struck by vandals last weekend.
By ERIC CARPENTER
The Orange County Register
LA HABRA - A flood of people looking to restore a makeshift Sept. 11 memorial trashed by vandals plastered the site with new American flags and homemade signs Wednesday, rebuilding it as a much larger tribute than it had been.
Supporters - including parents, schoolchildren and war veterans from across Orange County and from as far away as Pasadena and Riverside - adorned the chain-link fence memorial with more than 200 new flags, replacing the 87 flags burned and ripped up by vandals over the weekend.
Tracey Chandler, who had built and maintained the site for 18 months, stood by the memorial for much of Wednesday, smiling and waving at honking motorists.
She accepted stacks of new flags, T-shirts and donations of $5 and more from people wanting to see the memorial restored to its red, white and blue glory.
One man stopped to give her a $20 bill for her "patriotic efforts" and asked that she treat her family to an apple pie on him.
Buena Park pastor Wiley Drake, who has been leading a "support the troops" campaign, got permission from the property owner to hang a 40-foot-by-16-foot Sept. 11 tribute banner under a billboard.
"This was such a horrible thing that happened, but just look at what it has brought about," Chandler said. "I am so touched by the response."
Not everybody has been enthusiastic.
Police early Wednesday arrested a 19-year-old woman who witnesses said showed up at the memorial late Tuesday, claimed responsibility for burning some of the flags and pushed Chandler while saying the memorial endorsed the looming war in Iraq.
Jennifer Quintana, whom police identified only as an Orange County resident, was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor assault and released.
Quintana, who identified herself as a Fullerton College student, argued over the memorial with a crowd of about 25 people when she showed up at the site.
"It's an American flag, obviously it has everything to do with the war," she told the crowd. "There should be no war, just peace and togetherness."
Witnesses said Quintana grabbed Chandler as they argued.
"I told her to get her ignorant hands off me and she started to poke at me, so we called the police," Chandler said.
Police took Quintana in for questioning, and booked her into jail around midnight, police said. She was cited and released around 6 a.m. police said. They are still investigating whether Quintana was responsible for any of last weekend's vandalism.
"We hope to consult with the district attorney and present them with our case, both on the assault and on the vandalism investigation, by the end of the week," said Cindy Knapp, spokeswoman for La Habra police.
Quintana did not return phone calls seeking additional comment.
Chandler said the memorial is primarily intended to honor victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but lately some people have interpreted it as a pro-war demonstration.
Signs have been hung urging passers-by to "Support the Troops" and to "Back Bush."
Mike Miller, who works around the corner from the memorial, looked at the row of flags and shook his head in disapproval.
"I think it looks kind of tacky," said Miller, a former Marine who fought in Vietnam. "I think a lot of people who support this memorial are gung-ho about the war and, having seen the blood and the pain of war, I think that's a shame."
