Lafayette hillside memorial explained

37.8951°N -122.1238°W

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 32square feet sign on the property and did not limit the number of crosses.[11] The organizers initially had an approximately 64square feet sign, but reduced it to 32square feet to comply with the city ordinance. The sign is updated every week to show the new official death toll for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.[12]

, 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.[13]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: McKinley. Jesse. 2006-12-03. Homemade Memorial Is Stirring Passions on Iraq (Published 2006). en-US. The New York Times. 2021-02-04. 0362-4331.
  2. Web site: Johnson. Jason B.. 2006-11-28. LAFAYETTE / Emotions run high over Iraq memorial / Highly visible hill of crosses lauded, slammed at meeting. 2021-02-04. SFGATE. en-US.
  3. Web site: War memorial stirs tensions in California. 2021-02-04. UPI. en.
  4. Web site: 2019-04-16. East Bay Community Bands Together To Protect, Maintain 'Lafayette Crosses'. 2021-02-04. en-US.
  5. News: Iraq war memorial sets tempers ablaze. November 26, 2006. Jason B. Johnson. November 20, 2006. San Francisco Chronicle. A-1. 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.

  6. News: More Crosses Erected at Lafayette Memorial. February 26, 2007. Doug Sovern. February 26, 2007. KCBS.
  7. News: Lafayette War Memorial reminds us of war’s cost . November 24, 2020 . East Bay Times . May 20, 2007.
  8. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070308/ai_n18719421/pg_1 Supporters of the Iraq War descend on Lafayette memorial
  9. http://www.foxreno.com/news/11204513/detail.html Emotions Run High At Lafayette War Memorial
  10. http://www.moveamericaforward.org/index.php/DailyFile/2008/08/ NEVER FORGET: 911 Rally being organized by Lafayette Flag Brigade
  11. Web site: April 5, 2007. Guild Lawyer Defends Iraq War Memorial. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20070630114120/http://www.nlgsf.org/news/view.php?id=31. June 30, 2007. November 23, 2020. National Lawyers Guild SF Bay Area Chapter. Contra Costa Lawyer.
  12. News: 300 crosses raised on hill near BART station. November 26, 2006. Delfin Vigil. November 13, 2006. San Francisco Chronicle. B-2.
  13. News: Lafayette war memorial searches for its future. December 22, 2014. Kevin Fagan. May 27, 2014. SF Gate.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lafayette hillside memorial".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.