Eden Cemetary – Update
Posted by: Leese on: October 15, 2008
.. so here we go again.
I was a little too quick with the mouse and what I was writing in this post disappeared. Maybe that’s a good thing!
So the cover story of the Delco Times has a headline stating that the grave stone toppling at Eden Cemetary was racially motivated.
I can tell you absolutely.. positively… 100% clarity that it was NOT racially motivated. Not by any means.
Unfortunately, I happen to know the three dumbasses who did this. It’s one of those friend-of-a-friend-of-a-brother-of-a-friend thing that happens when you have teenagers.
Never liked them. Not even alittle. Never trusted them. My husband can confirm this.
At any rate, what REALLY happened is that they were getting wasted. I don’t know if they were getting high on pills, acid, weed or some other pharmaceutical that I’m too old to be “down” with.. but that’s what they were doing there and in their idiotic, chemically induced mindset they thought it would be fun.
Deplorable? Definately. Racial? Not in the least.
As I posted before, I doubt they even KNEW of Eden’s historical background or that it was an African American cemetary. I doubt they can even spell their first name backwards half the time. In fact, one of three has been picked up by police at least 3 or 4 times since the incident. So what does that tell you about their intelligence level?
And as much as I find what they did reprehensible, I do have to say that the OTHER two teenagers that received 64 hours of community service for robbing Suburban Armory are much more a threat to society then these half baked idiots are.
While I agree whole heartedly that Eden Cemetary and it’s buried needs to be recognized for the historical value, I think the activists who are trying to make something out of nothing should really look at the real problems. There is enough racism as it is… stop promoting it.
Here’s the Delco Times article in case you haven’t read it yet:
ACTIVIST: Desecration of Cemetary Act of Racism
By Vicky Thomas vthomas@delcotimes.com
COLLINGDALE — Philadelphia attorney and civil rights activist Michael Coard is setting his sights on Eden Cemetery, claiming the desecration of 201 headstones in the historic African-American cemetery was racially motivated.
Local police insist that is not the case.
Coard is the leader of Avenging the Ancestors Coalition (ATAC), a group that recently fought for the recognition of nine African slaves owned by George Washington in Philadelphia.
Friends of Eden Cemetery and ATAC will hold a press conference at 12:30 today at Sixth and Walnut streets in Philadelphia, to promote an event that will be held at the cemetery Saturday.
“(Today’s press conference) is simply an attempt to enlighten the public and media on why this is an important and urgent situation that must be addressed,” said Coard. “We’re ringing the alarm bell to the public that on Saturday, we’re going to have two hours of informational and enlightening demonstrations and presentations.”
Three white teenage boys, ages 15, 16, and 17, were arrested for their involvement in toppling 201 headstones in Eden Cemetery between July 14-19.
Police Chief Robert Adams said there was no evidence suggesting the vandalism was racially motivated.
“There is nothing to prove that. This is one facet making these allegations and statements,” said Adams. “This guy comes out of the blue and sends a press release … he never asked to meet with me or talk or anything.”
Established in 1902, Eden is the nation’s oldest African-American public cemetery and a reminder of the days when black citizens could not be buried alongside whites.
Among the persons of note buried there are renowned opera singer Marian Anderson, civil rights leader Octavius Catto, who led the fight to integrate Philadelphia’s streetcars, the Rev. Dr. Charles Tindley, a son of slave parents who wrote 60 hymns, including “Stand By Me,” and William Still, often referred to as “the father of the Underground Railroad.”
The teens, whose names were not released because of their ages, were each charged with 201 counts of criminal mischief and desecration of venerated objects, criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass and defiant trespass.
“The fact our African-American ancestors have not been given the respect of being allowed to rest in peace … they endured racism when alive, but Eden Cemetery proves they have to deal with racism after death,” said Coard, a member of convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal’s defense team.
Adams said he has increased police presence at Eden Cemetery, and has spoken to relatives with loved ones buried in the cemetery, the Anti-Defamation League and cemetery board members about the incident.
“They are all supportive of what we’re doing. The board of directors were thankful we made an arrest,” said Adams. “(The families) are upset and I can’t blame them. There is no proof to fact (it was) racially motivated. This was kids being knuckleheads, knocking over gravestones and there is no evidence to (the) contrary.”
Coard says ATAC and Friends of Eden Cemetery believe the desecration of headstones was racially motivated because there has been vandalism and disrespect to the site over the decades.
“Since 1902, there have been problems with headstones being turned over, motorcycle riding and urination at the cemetery. None of this stuff is just kids being kids,” Coard said.
He said proof the cemetery was targeted in the July vandalism was the fact a nearby cemetery did not have similar vandalism.
He did not know the name of the cemetery, but may have been referring to neighboring Mount Zion, a non-secterian cemetery.
“The nearby cemetery with white folks, none of this is happening. To say it’s just kids being kids, then why aren’t they doing it at the white cemetery?” Coard said.
Adams said he wasn’t aware of any toppled tombstones in Mount Zion, but that didn’t mean the location was free of crime.
Officers were patrolling Eden Cemetery about a week after the vandalism when they heard voices in Mount Zion, where they found and arrested five African-American men for criminal trespass and possession of marijuana, Adams said.
The following night, police arrested a Darby woman in Mount Zion for possession of cocaine and public drunkenness.
The “Day to Honor our Ancestors” at Eden Cemetery will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday. Coard will speak and there will be music and re-enactments of some of the historic figures buried at the cemetery.
Coard said ATAC and Friends of Eden Cemetery are working to collect funds for a new fence surrounding the historic cemetery.
“We want to enlighten, energize, and motivate to stop disrespecting our buried black ancestors,” said Coard. “A wrought-iron fence could cost $1 million, but our immediate hope is to provide a steel security fence for $100,000.”
3 Responses to "Eden Cemetary – Update"
October 18, 2008 at 11:07 am
$100,000 is an exorbitant amount of money to keep the living out of a cemetary, it that is at all possible. Wouldn’t it be better to take some of that money and build a center or develop programs for youth to learn respect for their community. It saddens me that families and schools do not have a strong connection to the places they co-inhabit. It definitely affects mutual pride and any sense of ownership that is necessary for communities in small (and larger) areas to protect and preserve the legacies and places where history matters.
October 23, 2008 at 4:00 pm
My apologies–this has nothing to do with your current post. But I know you have blogged about Faith in the past and wondered if you had heard the latest:
Lemuel Payne has been arrested:
Bail set at $750,000 for suspect in fatal August hit and run in Delco
Roxanne
October 15, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Hi, me again LOL. I think what is happening here, is just total frustration in the Black community over what appears to be complete apathy on the part of the police department, towards racism. If you take a trip through Eden Cemetery, you will see the “N” word, swastikas, and other derogatory slurs spray painted all over the headstones, a fact which always seems to be overlooked by the police. I happen to live within walking distance of the cemetery (never thought I would live in the center of so many racial problems) and I have gone down there a few times to see with my own eyes, the racial slurs painted on the headstones. Now, I am not saying that these particular three boys wrote the N word and I have no knowledge of their feelings toward Blacks, but I can really understand why the Black community is upset. The cemetery has been repeatedly vandalized over and over and the police have failed to protect it. In fact, they are very quick to turn the other cheek when it comes to the “N” word for some reason. It seems so easy for people to say “Oh we know they wrote the N word, but they’re not racist” while ignoring the extreme hurt and pain that word causes to people. I think what we need here, is education and dialogue. Maybe white people don’t realize the extreme pain it causes or think that the N word is somehow disconnected from racism. An example I can use is this. Let’s imagine that there was an all-female school. And someone kept vandalizing it over and over, and writing “Whores” and “Bitches” all over it. And the cops and community kept saying “it’s not related to the school being an all-girl school. It’s just kids being kids.” I mean, eventually, the women in that school would start becoming really really frustrated. Do you see my point?