After allegedly stealing a gold-plated rose from a 9/11 memorial at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Manhattan, a 21-year-old Bronx man has been charged with grand larceny. According to ABC7 New York, Deikel Alcantara is charged with stealing the rose from the memorial after breaking into the church on Wednesday afternoon.
The NYPD has yet to retrieve the about $3,000 gold-plated rose, even though they made an arrest. The rose, which has been a part of the Church of St. Francis of Assisi for more than 20 years, was acted to remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Two days after the event, Alcantara, who had previously visited the church and needed prior escorts to leave the grounds because of his disruptive behavior, was quickly taken into custody. The theft of such a sign shocks the collective memory of grief and loss because it appears out of nowhere against the backdrop of a calm memorial honoring lives lost.
The religious community finds great value in the memorial, which consists of a metal rose set on a pedestal made of twisted steel from the World Trade Center. It pays tribute to those who perished in the attacks, such as parishioner Carole LaPlante and the church’s former priest, Father Mychal Judge. The current priest of the church, Father Brian Jordan, told NBC New York, “We are saddened and grieved by this act of desecration.”
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