SANTA MONICA—On Monday, May 27, volunteers at Arlington West Memorial were attacked by a homeless man. The perpetrator has been identified by police as David Wilfong, 36. Wilfong destroyed some of the volunteers displays and one volunteer was transported to a local hospital for injuries sustained. Wilfong was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse and mayhem.
Volunteers were monitoring the memorial overnight and into the morning, when at 4:00 a.m. Wilfong started swearing at the volunteers and screaming as he knocked down their signs. According to reports, he threw crosses at the volunteers and swung shovels at them which resulted in one volunteer being hit in the head.
The memorial is a weekly tradition, where volunteers attend every Sunday to set up by Veterans For Peace. The tradition has transpired for the past 15 years. Veterans For Peace is a organization with chapters throughout the United States that work to bring public awareness around the treatment of veterans, the cost of wars, and other issues regarding war and people impacted by them.
“Our network is comprised of over 140 chapters worldwide whose work includes: educating the public, advocating for a dismantling of the war economy, providing services that assist veterans and victims of war, and most significantly, working to end all wars,” reads a statement on the Veterans For Peace website.
