A makeshift memorial to the three people killed in the Boston Marathon bombing, as well as the campus police officer allegedly killed by the bombing suspects, went up April 22 in Monument Square.
Attached to the fence of the Civil War Solider’s Monument at Centre and South streets, it features the names of the victims, crosses and flags. It also features a sign bearing a now-famous school project quote from 8-year-old victim Martin Richard: “No more hurting people.”
The suspected bomber killed during the police manhunt also was briefly paid respects in the memorial, with his name appearing alongside that of the victims on a stick topped with a star-and-crescent symbol often associated with Islam. The two men who created the memorial reportedly had a disagreement about including that tribute and quickly removed it.
The memorial was created by Carlos Arredondo and Sage Radachowsky, according to Carlos’s wife Mélida. Carlos Arrendondo, a Roslindale resident, is a nationally known anti-war activist who became a hero of the marathon bombing for rushing to the aid of its victims. He has staged several previous memorials in Monument Square protesting war and marking the Newtown school shooting. The Jamaica Plain post office is dedicated to Carlos’s son Alex, a Marine who was killed in action in the Iraq War.
Radachowsky, also from Roslindale, was known for living in a tiny, bicycle-drawn house at the 2011 Occupy Boston protest, where the Arredondos also were fixtures. Radachowsky also was involved in the 2011 Occupy JP spinoff movement.
Mélida Arrendondo told the Gazette that Carlos Arrendondo and Radachowsky set up the marathon memorial following the April 22 2:50 p.m. commemoration of exactly one week since the bombing.
The element remembering suspected marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev was the creation of Radachowsky, according to Mélida Arredondo, who said that Carlos Arredondo objected to it and “immediately” took down.
Local resident Hylton Jolliffe told the Gazette he observed the men working on the memorial for one to two minutes and noticed the Tsarnaev element. He did not see its removal.
A photo of the memorial taken by Jolliffe shows the element honoring Tsarnaev was topped with the star-and-crescent with hearts on it. Tamerlan and his surviving alleged partner in crime, brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, reportedly are Muslims, and authorities suggest that religious extremism was a motivation for bombing.
Updated version: This version has been updated with further information about the memorial.
A photo of the bombing memorial taken by resident Hylton Jolliffe April 22 shows the star-and-crescent sign for bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev at the far left. Memorial co-creator Carlos Arredondo kneels at work nearby. (Photo Courtesy Hylton Jolliffe)
The makeshift memorial at the Soldier’s Monument at Centre and South streets in Monument Square April 22. (Gazette Photo by John Ruch)
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