Cemetery Park; a look into organized grave desecration

cemetery
[sem-i-ter-ee]
noun, plural cem·e·ter·ies.

an area set apart for or containing graves, tombs, or funeral urns, especially one that is not a churchyard; burial ground; graveyard.

When the loss of a family member occurs, we go through a whirlwind of tasks that we do with extra precision; the settling of affairs, the granting of  wishes, the careful planning of a funeral. Imagine the time and care that goes into those plans. Every detail, from the flowers to the place you lay your loved one to rest has a special sincerity, that comes from the heart of those who are left to make the decisions.

Think of the late nights wide awake, doodling onto several sheets of paper, searching for the words to express an adequate  amount of love, gratitude and sorrow to put into an epitaph. Imagine the solace that one would find knowing that those words would be engraved in stone forever. Then those moments of clarity would strike, reminding you that you needed to pull together every penny you had to buy a memorial worthy of who they were. You preserved and managed to find a way because they deserved the best. Think about that moment you run your fingers over a cold slab of granite and decided that, that exact piece of marble would be a beautiful way to memorialize your loved one. That sinking feeling that came in waves, to realize this marble would become a familiar sight in the years ahead. Whether they were a mother, a father, brother, sister, or child; you wanted the world to know your loved one existed. You wanted a memorial to show that they mattered and were loved.

Now, take a moment to imagine, the city in which you lay your beloved to rest, decides to wipe away that marker that you so carefully selected and paid for. Imagine a bulldozer pushing that memorial, along with thousands of others, over a cliff and into the sea. With no regard for the heart and soul that was poured into each one.

Imagine a city that determined creating a dog park, was more important that honoring those wishes and that care these families put into this cemetery.

Unimaginable, but it's what happened at St. Mary's Cemetery in Ventura, California. In fact, it's something that is happening all over the United States, but little is being done to stop it.

Visit http://www.restorestmarys.org/

I was gifted the opportunity of an early screening of Cemetery Park, which is  a documentary detailing this true event. Producer and writer Brandon Alvis, a friend of mine who knows about my work in historic cemetery preservation, and asked me to watch it and give him feedback.

I was blown away by what I watched. It seemed inconceivable that such an action would occur.

The plot outline of the Cemetery Park Facebook reads, "December 3, 1964 marks a dark stain in the history of the city of San Buenaventura. Over 3,000 Pioneer and Veterans graves were desecrated by the city council. In the years to follow and after a grand jury investigation, one man stands up for the families of the voiceless. Over a span of 14 years the illegalities, misconduct and those responsible would be exposed in hope of restoring St. Mary's cemetery to its former state. The revelations discovered during the making of this documentary rewrite the history of this iconic beach town in Southern California."

Without giving away too much about the film itself, I wanted to take the time to express my own thoughts about what was presented in this documentary.

As someone who has gone through the process of planning funerals of and burying two parents, I can't help but feel that this is a truly tragic thing to have happened. To turn a cemetery into a dog park to me, is just beyond disgraceful. The loss of history is a travesty. The disregard for the families and ancestors of those buried within the cemetery is disheartening.

And yes, I said buried. They're still there. Over 3,000 bodied are left within this dog park. The city could not even be bothered to properly move the bodies to a more dignified location with their memorials intact.

In this documentary you will hear other opinions much like mine, and some that would oppose my thoughts. Those opinions work desperately to minimize the issue at hand.

One city official in the documentary is a prime example of this. His continual expression of the grounds being a cemetery over a hundred years ago, to me, whether conscious or unconscious, is an  attempt to disassociate the general public from the issue. The further away we make it seem, the easier it is to minimize it as a true issue.

As of the 1960's , only 52 years ago, this was a cemetery with headstones. Fact is, these grounds were not a cemetery 100 years ago, nor 52 years ago; they are still a cemetery today.

By definition a cemetery is an area set apart for containing graves. St. Mary's -park or not- is an area that contains many graves. Not a couple, but thousands. Removing headstones did not undo what it really is.

You can tear the wings and the bill off a duck, and call it something else. But at the core, and at the molecular level of what it is, it is still a duck. You cannot simply tear away the aesthetic qualities we use to recognize something and forget what we've done. The fact is, aesthetics only make up a small percentage of what something is.

At the core, there are still people and history buried within St. Mary's Cemetery.

These small pieces of land were purchased by these individuals or their families.  Those agreements should be honored. The people buried there deserve a dignified resting place.

While I agree that in some days ahead, we will need to learn better ways of "disposing" of our dead. As population grows, we need space for the living. Green burials and cremations are among some of the ways to approach that issue. Everyday, people are coming up with new alternatives to traditional burials. But until then, these sacred spaces of the past, should be preserved.

With each drop of a headstone into the ocean below, a piece of someone's heart and their hopes of serenity, were disregarded as well.



The question I have been asked; "Do I recommend this film to others?". The answer is yes.

I recommend this thoughtful, well written, documentary to all; not just a demographic. I think this film touches on a subject we all need to be aware of. This is an issue that can, and more likely WILL effect us all. How far should we go to preserve our historical monuments, and landmarks? Not all histories are written. Not all are told. Some history is best learned through physical experience, touch and by witnessing. Our cemeteries are some of the most condensed, pure pieces of history we have. Each marker tells a story and bears witness to an individuals life. By standing within the gates of a cemetery, we can learn about our forefathers, our communities, and in some special cases, ourselves. It's vital to keep these pieces of history pristine and in good repair for future generations. It is our job to be a good example, or in time we will have nothing left.


"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."


Please visit:
http://www.restorestmarys.org/
https://www.facebook.com/cemeteryparkfilm