Lafayette hillside memorial
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The Lafayette Hillside Memorial is a collection of crosses, accompanied by a large sign, in Lafayette, California. The crosses are intended to serve as a memorial for United States soldiers killed in the Iraq War, with the sign containing a running total of the death count. The monument began to raise controversy in November 2006.
The hill, overlooking State Route 24 in Contra Costa County, is owned by 81 year old Louise Clark and her husband, Johnson Clark, a WWII veteran. The monument was erected in late 2003 by Jeffrey Heaton, a long running anti-war protestor, and Clark. Their first 15 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".[1] By February 26th, 2007 the number of crosses, mixed with a few Stars of David, Islamic crescents and other religious symbols, had passed 2500 in number.[2] Crosses have been added by volunteers and some paid for by the Lamorinda Peace Group and Grandmothers for Peace.[3]
The City ordinance allowed a 32 square foot sign on the property, and did not limit the number of crosses.[1] The organizers initially had an approximately 64 square foot sign, but reduced it to 32 square feet to comply with the City ordinance. The sign is updated every week to show the new official death toll for soldiers in Iraq[4].
[edit] See also
- Arlington West - similar display in Santa Monica
[edit] References
- ^ Jason B. Johnson (November 20, 2006). Iraq war memorial sets tempers ablaze. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on November 26, 2006. The sign has been defaced twice. It was first knocked down by a Marine Sergeant, enraged by perceived anti-war bias. On another occasion, the sign was painted over with black tar. Both times the sign was returned to its prior condition.
- ^ Doug Sovern (February 26th, 2007). More Crosses Erected at Lafayette Memorial. KCBS. Retrieved on February 26, 2007.
- ^ Merian Kiernan (November 16, 2006). Hillside Memorial Springs Up in Lafayette, California. The Epoch Times. Retrieved on November 26, 2006.
- ^ Delfin Vigil (November 13, 2006). 300 crosses raised on hill near BART station. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on November 26, 2006.
[edit] External links
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