Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Westbard cemetery protest at HOC on November 1

Protesters will return to the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at 4:00 PM, for a silent protest opposing the HOC's plan to build a parking garage on top of the historic African-American cemetery on the site of Westwood Tower in Bethesda.

HOC's headquarters is located at 10400 Detrick Avenue in Kensington. The protest is in regard to the HOC's plan with partner Regency Centers to build a parking garage on the historic cemetery, which holds many residents of the lost community established there on River Road after Maryland Emancipation. That community was wiped out by developers in the mid-1950s. Now, with the cemetery scandal - here we go again, another example of the institutional racism against black landowners in Montgomery County.

SURJ, Macedonia Baptist Church, descendants of those buried in the cemetery, and their supporters in the community are asking the HOC to allow the church to conduct a valid archaeological study of the burial site, and to publicly acknowledge that the sacred nature of it outweighs their development plans.

Participants in the protest should bring signs to hold. Suggested messages include:

DON'T PARK ON ME, HOC (my personal favorite)
BLACK LIVES MATTER IN LIFE AND IN DEATH
BLACK ANCESTORS MATTER
BLACK BURIAL PLACES MATTER
NO PARKING GARAGE OVER CEMETERY
AFFORDABLE HOUSING--YES! CEMETERY DESECRATION--NO!

Be forewarned that parking is very limited, as all of the parking lots are hogged by HOC, despite all we the taxpayers contribute to the HOC. There are some street parking spaces, and the surrounding residential neighborhood has permit parking restrictions. For that reason, carpool if you can.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

"a parking garage on top of the historic African-American cemetery"

1) Possible cemetery site, no?

2) What's on the site currently?

It seems this report omits some key details.

Anonymous said...

I have some good signs:

PROPERTY RIGHTS - YES
DON'T SELL A CEMETERY IF YOU WANT TO KEEP IT
CITIZENS FOR DELAYING PROGRESS

Anonymous said...

Step 1:
Find out, for certain, if there are actually still graves at the location.

Step 2:
Everything else.



Anonymous said...

RESPECT THE DEADS BY KEEPING THEM BURIED UNDER A PARKING LOT

Anonymous said...

If people are actually protesting this because of the fact that the church sold the land, it has already been developed and a new developer wants to develop it further, what are the protesting? Are they protesting development in an area that has resisted development for years, or do these individuals actually want to change the past and attempt to recover what is left from the land that has already been paved over due to the church having sold it? This whole things sounds like a giant we hate developers protest and not an actual respect for the dead.

Anonymous said...

-Remove that parking lot

-Search for any deads

-Respectfully relocate any found deads to an appropriate cemetery.

-Build nice housing for the livings.

Roald said...

-let these souls rest in peace
-build memorial gardens and museum to remember them

Anonymous said...

Except for some changes in the word order of the first paragraph, and the second sentence in the second paragraph, this article is identical to the previous articles published on September 29 and September 2.

#ReheatedNews

#BeepBeepBeep

Anonymous said...

Including the lame final paragraph:

"Be forewarned that parking is very limited, as all of the parking lots are hogged by HOC, despite all we the taxpayers contribute to the HOC."

Anonymous said...

I would hate to work at the HOC on these protest days. Especially with the turnouts that Dyer has been reporting.

Anonymous said...

Why does Robert Dyer believe that HOC employees should not be allowed to park in the parking lot of their office?

Anonymous said...

I don't ever recall a period of time with so many county residents protesting their Council and Planning Board.

This Council is not normal. Frankly, they're out of control.

Baloney Concrete said...

Indeed, before long the Cartel will have no choice but to reckon with these protesters.

All 11 of them.

Anonymous said...

That old white dude in the front row looks like he just got out of bed after sleeping in his clothes.

Anonymous said...

Dyer hates paying for parking they hog all the parking spots from taxpayers, you big dummy!!!!!! DO they let retards drive??