Lafayette hillside memorial

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The Crosses of Lafayette is a collection of crosses, accompanied by a large sign, in Lafayette, California. The crosses are intended to serve as a memorial for soldiers killed in the Iraq War and Afghanistan War, 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.

The hillside, overlooking State Route 24 in Contra Costa County, was owned by 81-year-old Louise Clark, widow of Johnson Clark,until they both passed on. Johnson Clark was a local developer and WWII veteran. The monument was erected in late 2006 by Jeffrey Heaton, a long-time anti-war protestor, and Louise 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 26, 2007 the number of crosses, mixed with Stars of David, Islamic crescents, and other religious symbols, had passed 2500.[2] Crosses have been added by volunteers and some paid for by the Lamorinda Peace Group and Grandmothers for Peace.[3] Protests of the memorial have been led by Lafayette Flag Brigade[4][5] which organizes a competing, remembrance[4] flag display on September 11 annually.[6]

The city ordinance allowed a 32-square-foot (3.0 m2) sign on the property and did not limit the number of crosses.[1] The organizers initially had an approximately 64-square-foot (5.9 m2) sign, but reduced it to 32 square feet (3.0 m2) to comply with the city ordinance. The sign is updated every week to show the new official death toll for soldiers in Iraq.[7]

As of 2014, 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.[8]

View of the memorial from the Lafayette BART station parking lot.

See also

References

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External links


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  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 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.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Supporters of the Iraq War descend on Lafayette memorial Katherine Tam, CONTRA COSTA TIMES Oakland Tribune, March 8, 2007.
  5. ↑ Emotions Run High At Lafayette War Memorial FoxReno.com, March 8, 2007
  6. ↑ NEVER FORGET: 911 Rally being organized by Lafayette Flag Brigade Move America Forward
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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