Lafayette hillside memorial
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The Lafayette hillside memorial is a collection of religious symbols, accompanied by a large sign, in Lafayette, California. The memorial commemorates soldiers killed in the Iraq War and War in Afghanistan, with the sign containing a running total of the death count as recorded by the US Department of Defense. The monument began to raise controversy in November 2006.[1][2][3][4]
The hillside, overlooking State Route 24 and Lafayette BART station, was owned by 81-year-old Louise Clark, widow of Johnson Clark, until she died. Johnson Clark was a local developer and World War II veteran. The monument was erected in late 2006 by Jeffrey Heaton, a long-time anti-war protester, and Louise Clark. Their first 19 crosses were quickly removed by vandals. In November 2006 Heaton and Clark re-added the crosses onto Clark's property, this time with 300 crosses and a large sign that read: "In Memory of 2839 U.S. Troops Killed In Iraq".[5] By February 26, 2007, the number of crosses, mixed with Stars of David, Islamic crescents, and other religious symbols, had passed 2,500.[6] Crosses have been added by volunteers and some paid for by the Lamorinda Peace Group and Grandmothers for Peace.[7] Protests of the memorial have been led by Lafayette Flag Brigade[8][9] which organizes a competing, remembrance[8] flag display annually on September 11.[10]
The city ordinance allowed a Script error: No such module "convert". sign on the property and did not limit the number of crosses.[11] The organizers initially had an approximately Script error: No such module "convert". sign, but reduced it to Script error: No such module "convert". to comply with the city ordinance. The sign was updated every week to show the new official death toll for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.[12] In 2022, the sign was changed to simply read "Remember".[13]
since 2014[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., a permanent memorial has been proposed on the site although the original intent was for the display to come down when U.S. troops came home from Iraq and Afghanistan.[14]
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See also
- Arlington West, a similar display in Santa Monica, California
References
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". The sign has been defaced twice. It was first knocked down by a Marine sergeant, enraged by perceived antiwar bias. On another occasion, the sign was painted over with black tar. Both times the sign was returned to its original condition. The memorial, with its similarity to a graveyard, was constructed after the Clark's application to develop a large assisted living facility on the property was rejected as not meeting the zoning requirements for the residential area.
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- ↑ a b Supporters of the Iraq War descend on Lafayette memorial Katherine Tam, CONTRA COSTA TIMES Oakland Tribune, March 8, 2007.
- ↑ Emotions Run High At Lafayette War Memorial Template:Webarchive FoxReno.com, March 8, 2007
- ↑ NEVER FORGET: 911 Rally being organized by Lafayette Flag Brigade Template:Webarchive Move America Forward
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External links
- thecrossesoflafayette.org The Crosses of Lafayette Organization
- https://www.lafayettehillsidememorial.org/ Lafayette Hillside Memorial, official 501(c)3 non-profit organization website