VA Fredericksburg Cemetery Vandalized

[MWood1841]

https://wjla.com/news/local/gravesi...video-company-crime-washington-avenue-comment

F'burg city confederate cemetery vandalized… (again). Estimated over $20k in damages. Over 15 gravestones destroyed.

What point does this make?? I can only surmise just how miserable and hate filled some individuals must be to perform acts of destruction in a cemetery. Our society continues its free-fall away from common decency. Simply disgusting.

 

[JackADriscoll]

That stinks but fear not weve never been decent

 

[JerryD]

https://wjla.com/news/local/gravesi...video-company-crime-washington-avenue-comment

F'burg city confederate cemetery vandalized… (again). Estimated over $20k in damages. Over 15 gravestones destroyed.

What point does this make?? I can only surmise just how miserable and hate filled some individuals must be to perform acts of destruction in a cemetery. Our society continues its free-fall away from common decency. Simply disgusting.

Agree its disgusting that anyone would vandalize any cemetery, but it seems this was not the Confederate Cemetery. The article you posted says at the end that it was the city cemetery, which is located next to the Confederate Cemetery. From the article:

"Fredericksburg City Cemetery opened in 1844 along Washington Avenue and shares a wall and entrance with the Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery, which opened in 1870. The lands are maintained by separate groups."

 

[Library Lady]

Isn't it amazing what passes for a good idea when one is over-served? Trashing a cemetery has always been high on that dubious list, right up there, back in the day, with tipping over outhouses. From the pictures and the article, it doesn't appear that the vandals had an anti-Confederate bias, but probably a blood alcohol level of well over 0.08.

 

[MWood1841]

Agree its disgusting that anyone would vandalize any cemetery, but it seems this was not the Confederate Cemetery. The article you posted says at the end that it was the city cemetery, which is located next to the Confederate Cemetery. From the article:

"Fredericksburg City Cemetery opened in 1844 along Washington Avenue and shares a wall and entrance with the Fredericksburg Confederate Cemetery, which opened in 1870. The lands are maintained by separate groups."

its the same cemetery. You literally have to walk through the confederate cemetery arch to access the left side of the cemetery which has a majority non-confederate graves. However when you walk to the rear left side of the cemetery, there is a row of confederate soldiers graves. The right side is mostly confederate. This is how the city plays "my side, your side", which is silly. I could really get into further details, but would move this into a restricted thread. Ironically, last two times now the cemetery has been vandalized, they have damaged the non-confederate side. Shows you how "smart" these people are. The confederate archway is triggering I guess. Last time they spray painted the perimeter stonewall on the "city side".

 

[MWood1841]

Isn't it amazing what passes for a good idea when one is over-served? Trashing a cemetery has always been high on that dubious list, right up there, back in the day, with tipping over outhouses. From the pictures and the article, it doesn't appear that the vandals had an anti-Confederate bias, but probably a blood alcohol level of well over 0.08.

its the iron overhead confederate archway. Uneducated individuals automatically "assume" everyone in the cemetery is confederate. This has been a reoccuring issue last several years. Last time they spray painted nazi stuff on the outside of the stone wall on the cemetery side. The city had to front the bill to cleanup.

 

[Dave D]

I lived in New Orleans for many years during my formative days and learned something about the traditions of the Creoles and their Caribbean ancestors who practiced voodoo and the folk magic that originated in Africa. One of their strongest tenets was the prohibition of defiling a grave. Violators would be condemned to a life of severe "bad juju" and be haunted by the spirits from the graves that they desecrated. I'm not a proponent of the religion but I don't think I'd care to test their taboos - there are lots of tragic legends about people who lost their minds and ran off into the swamps.

 

[CWdiaryPA]

Despicable.

The cemetery is accepting donations to help with repairs. The bloodhound signaled which way they exited, so maybe local houses have surveillance, though it rained that night. These desecrators even left fingerprints on at least one headstone, apparently one they couldn't topple over. I bet they're young, they brag, then they get arrested. Let's hope.

 

[MWood1841]

below was a couple years ago that I mentioned. This cemetery seems to get vandalized at least one time every year. Apologies for the language on the image and moderators may remove or edit. Just wanted to share reality of what we are dealing with and intelligence level of the individuals destructing property. This was on the "city side" of the brick wall. Same cemetery.
Sorry for having to post such a negative thread, but this kinda stuff is still happening on a regularly basis.

 

[JerryD]

its the same cemetery. You literally have to walk through the confederate cemetery arch to access the left side of the cemetery which has a majority non-confederate graves. However when you walk to the rear left side of the cemetery, there is a row of confederate soldiers graves. The right side is mostly confederate. This is how the city plays "my side, your side", which is silly. I could really get into further details, but would move this into a restricted thread. Ironically, last two times now the cemetery has been vandalized, they have damaged the non-confederate side. Shows you how "smart" these people are. The confederate archway is triggering I guess. Last time they spray painted the perimeter stonewall on the "city side".

Thanks for clearing that up. Ignorance compounded by ignorance seems to be in play here. Ignorant to think about desecrating a cemetery to begin with, and then too ignorant to even hit the right cemetery.

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Ironically, last two times now the cemetery has been vandalized, they have damaged the non-confederate side. Shows you how "smart" these people are.

You are assuming because Confederates are buried there the vandalism was politically motivated. Nothing in the article suggests that.

The sad factor is vandalism occurs all over the country all the time. Only a small portion of it has anything to do with politics. And even some of the seemingly political vandalism isn't actually political in intent, but rather just some dumb idea that occured to drunk/high idiots because they think it will cause a stir.

Where I work we had people recently carve their initials into a large agave plant. People occasionally scratch things into the paint of the lighthouse.

 

[John Winn]

I visited that cemetery in 2016. My memory is that it wasn't in the best of neighborhoods.

We've had three incidents like that in the small city where I live in in the last ten years. In the oldest cemetery where I used to volunteer we knew of two incidents that occurred in the past, one in the late 50s and the other in the 60s. It's very common in old cemeteries to see the finial pieces missing which I think is because kids used to knock them off for fun. So, I'm with @Library Lady that this is probably just some drunk/stoned idiots doing what idiots do. Frankly, these days I'd not be surprised if the average teenager had no idea what confederates were or know anything about the Civil War.

Whatever the motivation, it's quite sad to see anything of historical significance vandalized, but more so to see a cemetery attacked.

 

[MWood1841]

You are assuming because Confederates are buried there the vandalism was politically motivated.

the vandalism acts do get lumped together, due to previous ones just like the spray painted version shown above. During previous vandalism incidents they have spray painted nazi symbols as well, that contractors had to utilize chemicals and pressure washers to remove.