In a recent post on this website entitled Demolition Derby I posted pictures I personally took on December 29, 2022, in Austin Memorial Park showing multiple gravesites desecrated by deep tire tracks and ruts from mowers and heavy equipment. On January 6, 2023, I noticed that in one of the areas I had photographed earlier there are been a half-hearted attempt to at least cover part of the damage. I returned on January 14, 2023, and took a second set of pictures. The picture below is one I took on December 29th, showing significant deep ruts and footprints running over gravesites.
This picture taken January 16th is the same set of gravesites. A thin layer of soil has been loosely raked over the graves, just barely disguising the damage. Tire tracks are still clearly visible on each side of the two gravesites.
I revisited the other areas I had photographed on January 29th and saw not even the most cursory effort at repairing the damage dishonoring multiple gravesites. This photograph is from January 29th.
This photograph is from January 16th, showing the same location. Nothing has been done to redress the the deep tire tracks defiling multiple gravesites.
Well, in all honesty, I cannot say nothing has been done. This picture from December 29th shows a fallen headstone inches from deep tire tracks with a small American flag, meant to honor a veteran's gravesite, crumpled in the dirt.
As can be seen in this photograph from January 16th, at least someone bothered to pick up the American flag. . . .
To give you an idea of the size and depth of some of the tire tracks, this is a photograph of my foot (shoe size 8 Narrow) placed in just one of the many ruts. It is clear that many of these tire tracks are not new, but have been there for weeks, if not months or even longer. PARD has had more than ample time to correct this disgraceful damage throughout the cemetery, but has clearly chosen to do nothing.
Another picture from January 14th, of a flat headstone half-buried by dirt and grass cuttings left by heavy equipment.
On January 12, 2023, PARD posted the proposed cemetery rules and regulations. According to the posting, public comments regarding the proposed rules must be submitted to Tonja Walls-Davis, Cemetery Operations Division Manager, Department of Parks and Recreation, at cemeteries@austintexas.gov, or 2800 Hancock Drive, Austin, Texas 78731, before February 13, 2023. Cynically, proposed Rule 14.4.1 (Purpose) states that, "These Rules are intended to show respect for those interred in the City’s cemeteries and to maintain the public’s health, safety, comfort, and welfare in municipal cemeteries and to show respect for those interred there." Although the rule TWICE declares that the intent is to "show respect for those interred" in Austin cemeteries, PARD's current treatment of the cemeteries has been utterly callous and highly disrespectful not only to those interred there, but to their families and friends. Nor is there anything in the rules that will remedy the current horrendous conditions and miserable maintenance of the public cemeteries. In fact, the proposed rules will make things even worst. Proposed Rule 14.4.10 (Ornamentation and Decoration) bars any grave ornamentation other than: fresh and artificial flowers in an invertible vase or other non-breakable container; commemorative stones (not defined); stick flags of no more than 18 inches in length; and items made entirely of cloth. These items may only be placed only at the head of a space or to the immediate left, right, or on a memorial. Trees, shrubs, and other plants are strictly prohibited and may be removed without notice and PARD has the sole discretion to, without notice, remove an item that presents a current or reasonably foreseeable threat to public health or safety or that merely "interferes with cemetery operations or maintenance." Multiple times Ms. Walls-Davis and other PARD personal have not only made it clear that they want to remove any grave ornamentation that prevents PARD from running heavy mowers and other equipment over gravesites, they intend to illegally and immorally retroactively enforce these proposed rules, giving PARD the absolute and unlimited right to rip out gravesite gardens and memorials that have been in place for years, if not decades. NOTHING in the rules requires PARD to restore or repair gravesites after it has destroyed long-established gardens and memorials. In the case of my family, the memorial gardens were planted specifically to prevent PARD from desecrating our loved ones' graves with tire tracks and equipment ruts. If the current conditions at Austin Memorial Park look as if PARD has been using these sacred grounds as its private demolition derby, if these proposed rules are approved in their current form, when PARD finishes showing its "respect for those interred" by uprooting hundreds of long-established gravesite gardens, giving it unimpeded free rein to drive its heavy equipment over each and every gravesite, the grounds at Austin's cemeteries will look like an off-road 4x4 truck mud rally.
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