Holly Jenks <hollyjen@csinet.net> has asked me to post this to the INPCRP list. > This news release is being sent to all the persons with cemetery > interests...We would appreciate your support via email, stop by the > LaPorte County complex this Friday 1-4 to get details, or appear > at the commissioners meeting next tues at 6 to show your support. =============== Cemetery friends and Families LaPorte Co Pioneer Cemetery Commission would like to announcement that we are collecting signatures for our LaPorte Co Commissioners to adopt a county ordinance on Cemetery restitution. We have a petition on going. You can sign up at the courthouse this Friday 1-4pm in the County Complex meeting room #3. We will present our petition at the Co commissioners meeting on Tuesday Feb 19th at 6 if anyone wants to join us there. --------------------------------------- PETITION We, the undersigned, petition the La Porte County Commissioners to pass the following proposed ordinance for the protection of all the cemeteries of La Porte county from acts of vandalism and the prosecution of the violators thereof. The proposed, Cemetery vandalism and the prosecution of the violators ordinance, will include: Dusk to Dawn curfew with signage, vandalism will be defined as any disturbance of a graveyard including the damage, defacing or theft of grave stones, monuments, mausoleums, fences, signage, urns, markers, flags, the destruction of the cemetery grounds and other acts of vandalism. The proposed county ordinance will make violators responsible for restitution and in the case of a violator that is underage, the parents, and or guardian will make restitution. The violators will be prosecuted according to the state laws citing cemetery mischief as a Class A misdemeanor and any loss determined by the cemetery to be at least $2500.00 as a Class D felony. --------------------------------------- The petition signing ends Friday, Feb 15th -------------------------------------------------- We had community service persons helping clean up the cemeteries through the probation department during this past year. This has been a great program, they pay back to the community. We want the county residents to know we won't stand for this kind of vandalism. We want to help in anyway possible to make these persons responsible for desecration of our county burial grounds. Some of our 80+ cemeteries in the county began as family burial grounds before 1832 when the county was formed. We must help preserve these final resting places of our families, Native Americans and of the veterans of all wars. We know the ordinance isn't the answer but it is a start to get the awareness of cemetery destruction in the public eye. One LaPorte County cemetery has been hit 10 times this past year. HOLLY JENKS, President LAPORTE CO PIONEER CEMETERY COMMISSION Visit our web page designed by Deanna West of Michigan City http://www.rootsweb.com/~inlpccem/cems.htm