The Lafayette hillside memorial is a collection of religious symbols, accompanied by a large sign, in
Lafayette, California. The memorial commemorates soldiers killed in the
Iraq War and
War in Afghanistan, 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.[1][2][3][4]
The hillside, overlooking
State Route 24 and
Lafayette BART station, was owned by 81-year-old Louise Clark, widow of Johnson Clark, until she died. Johnson Clark was a local developer and World War II veteran. The monument was erected in late 2006 by Jeffrey Heaton, a long-time anti-war protester, and Louise Clark. Their first 19 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".[5] By February 26, 2007, the number of crosses, mixed with
Stars of David,
Islamic crescents, and other religious symbols, had passed 2,500.[6] Crosses have been added by volunteers and some paid for by the
Lamorinda Peace Group and
Grandmothers for Peace.[7] Protests of the memorial have been led by
Lafayette Flag Brigade[8][9] which organizes a competing, remembrance[8] flag display annually on
September 11.[10]
The city ordinance allowed a 32-square-foot (3.0 m2) sign on the property and did not limit the number of crosses.[11] 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 and
Afghanistan.[12]
As of 2014[update], 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.[13]
^Jason B. Johnson (November 20, 2006).
"Iraq war memorial sets tempers ablaze".
San Francisco Chronicle. p. A-1. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
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.
The memorial, with its similarity to a graveyard, was constructed after the Clark's application to develop a large assisted living facility on the property was rejected as not meeting the zoning requirements for the residential area.