Cemetery of the Innocents Under Assault

This morning, Vita Clamantis, Dartmouth’s pro-life group, set up a display of 546 American flags on the lawn in front of Hitchcock. These flags represent the 54.6 million abortions since 1973 and Roe v. Wade. The display is called “Cemetery of the Innocents.” It was to also serve as a means of advertising a moderated discussion hosted by Vita Clamantis in the Class of 1930 Room at 8 P.M. tonight.

According to Vita Clamantis’s blog, “We put these flags out to ask every Dartmouth student a simple question: when your friend, your sister, your cousin, your neighbor, finds herself in this crisis, afraid and uncertain, feeling like the decision of her life weighs upon her, what will you do?“

This was the high point of the day. The display has been under assault ever since it went up. The signs put up around the edge of the event explaining its purpose were defaced, though Vita quickly replaced them. Some flags were stolen. Someone planted a sign (viewable in the slideshow at the top) that reads “May the child you save be GAY.” (emphasis in the original)

Nothing, however, quite prepared the Cemetery of the Innocents for the assault that was to come at approximately 1:40, when a Toyota Camry, pictured below, allegedly drove through the flags before continuing down the street. The aftermath can be viewed in some pictures taken soon after attack, seen below. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge.

The police were summoned. At one point there were three S&S vehicles and a Hanover PD cruiser on the scene.

Because freeom of speech is all well and good until you offend somebody, I suppose? 

—Sterling C. Beard