----- Original Message ----- From: "K Haddad" <haddad1940@yahoo.com> To: <CEMETERY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, November 07, 2003 3:12 AM Subject: Re: [Old Bones CEMETERY-L] Ventura, CA, cemetery desecrated to turn into a park > Did anyone write down the names on the tombstones before creating a dump for the tombstones? Where would those names be? I think I have ancestors there. > > Did anyone contact the California attorney general? > > Was no one in Ventura County interested? If no one knew they had ancestors there, I suppose they wouldn't be interested enough to devote the time and emotional energy required to save a cemetery (which is almost impossible when you're "fighting city hall"). > > I wonder if the American Civil Liberties Union ever defends the dead.... > > Katheryn > > Sue Silver <ssilver1951@jps.net> wrote: > Greetings, > > The subject of this cemetery was covered by a reporter from the LA Times > late last year (don't hold me to that time period). I was interviewed for > the article and have gone on record as saying I believe what the City did > what they did illegally. It was not then, nor is it now, lawful to create a > "park" out of a cemetery as long as there are bodies in the ground. > > There is law (California Health and Safety Code Sections 8825-8829) that > allows COUNTY boards of supervisors to declare a cemetery NOT owned by them > to be abandoned and to close them to future interments. The process to be > followed includes public notice and QUIETING TITLE to the land so as to > create a PIONEER MEMORIAL PARK. > > Any cemetery ornamentation found to be hazardous to the public is allowed to > be removed thereafter. The county MUST also thereafter maintain the Pioneer > Memorial Park FOREVER. > > California laws sets out that land continues to be DEDICATED to CEMETERY > PURPOSES as long as there are human remains still within the land. A city > park is NOT a cemetery. A cemetery MAY NOT BE USED as a city park. > > A Pioneer Memorial PARK is a name given by the legislature supposedly for > lack of a better term. But it is NOT A PARK for playing or walking dogs so > they can urinate and defecate on the graves of our state's earliest pioneer > citizens. > > I stand by my opinion. The City of Ventura has violated not only the spirit > and intent of this law, but the graves of the earliest residents of their > town. > > I agree - SHAME ON THEM. And, since I help many people with problems with > cemeteries, I'm sorry to say that my feeling is SHAME on the people of the > City of Ventura who allow this kind of cemetery desecration to continue. > > If anyone would like further information, please contact me direct at > ssilver1951@jps.net. > > Sincerely, > > Sue Silver, State Coordinator > California Saving Graves > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "K Haddad" > To: > Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2003 4:29 PM > Subject: [Old Bones CEMETERY-L] Ventura, CA, cemetery desecrated to turn > into a park > > > > > > A very nice lady from RAOGK (Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness) who did > a cemetery lookup for me in Ventura Co., CA, wrote me this: Cemetery Park > is a cemetery in Ventura, CA, that was desecrated by the city to turn it > into a park. > > > > "Cemetery Park is just that. So sad. The City of Ventura took all the > headstones and dumped them in a canyon in back of town. This was done 4 or 5 > years ago. I had not read anything about it in our local paper till after > the fact. > > > > "Our newspaper said, the city tried to contact families of those buried > there. > > > > "I have lived here nearly all my life, (my Mom was born in Ojai) and I use > to walk that cemetery as a kid (we all did) it was so interesting to read > the headstones. To me it is a sad looking place now. > > > > "The listing for who is buried there I got from our City Clerk. The > listing was done in the early 1940's and she had it on a floppy and was kind > enough to share it with me. > > Our city council should be ashamed of themselves." > > > > > > "Ojai City Hall 805-646-5581 > > 401 S. Ventura, Ojai CA > > 93023 > > > > Hallie > > > > Does anyone on our list live near Ventura that would be interested in > investigating this? > > > > Katheryn Maddox Haddad > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > > Do you Yahoo!? > > Protect your identity with Yahoo! 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