It's disgusting': Graffiti markings found near Ground Zero

Just blocks from a firehouse where 15 of the 343 New York City Firefighters were killed on 9/11, I saw grotesque graffiti.

“It makes ya shake your head doesn’t it, ” said Jim Smith, who works for a construction company.

The graffiti, handwritten in black marker, says, “9-11-01 ha ha ha” and “Fu-- U and Osama 9-11-01 ha ha ha.” It appears in four different spots on the white construction walls where a building is going up in Midtown.

Smith shakes his head, “Apparently they have no sense of what people went through; thousands of innocent lives lost. And 'ha ha ha?'"

The construction company Smith works for is building at Ground Zero.

“If it means what it sounds like it means, it’s disgusting," said Sean Kelly, who also works for the company. “I had a friend who also perished on 9/11, a firefighter-- Michael Lyons, god rest him, and it would be a horrible thing for someone to write something like that. We all know what everyone went through on that day and it’s disgusting.”

Equally disturbing is the graffiti just six blocks south. Located there is a firehouse called “The Pride of Midtown” with murals, plaques and pictures of 15 firefighters who died on 9/11.

More (including VIDEO) after the jump...

A firefighter I spoke to told me that in addition to the graffiti someone has been putting oatmeal over the glass where color photographs of the deceased men are posted in a permanent memorial.

There is a constant flow of tourists taking pictures at this location.

“I think it’s a disgrace,” said Mary Orlman of San Francisco. I asked her who she thinks could be behind this horrendous act. “A heartless person who probably had a lot suffering in his or her life.”