The Crosses of Lafayette

New Video from RockBridge Productions

2011-08-01T10:05:00.000-07:00

Crosses in New York Times - October 2010

2010-10-28T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Crosses of Lafayette project was started almost four years ago by Jeff Heaton, a local building contractor, to recognize American service members who were killed in Iraq. The white markers of the antiwar site dot the hillside and are easily viewed from Highway 24. Read more in the New York Times.

Iraq War - 6th Anniversary

2009-03-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Photo by John Eaton

The Contra Costa Times reported on the Lafayette Crosses Memorial.

As Iraq war continues, Lafayette Crosses becoming part of the landscape
By Paul Thissen
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 03/19/2009 06:05:28 PM PDT

The steep path of steps is worn into the dirt of the Lafayette hillside, meandering between thousands of white wooden crosses.

It was not there when Jeff Heaton started pounding the crosses into the ground in November 2006 to symbolize the American troops killed in Iraq.

That was one of the bloodiest periods of the war. The crosses sparked protests, against the war and against the monument itself. They attracted vandals. A battle was fought before the City Council about whether they should stay.

Now, as violence has waned, vocal debates have subsided.

The crosses become part of the consciousness of thousands of commuters who see them from BART or drive past them on Highway 24 each day. Traffic
reporters use them as a landmark. They are known far and wide; people from other regions who meet Lafayette's city manager say, "Oh, that's the town with the crosses."

"I think that they're really part of our community now," said Louise Clark, the 83-year-old Lafayette resident who owns the hillside. "Now I want the acceptance to turn into a concern about why they're there."

On Thursday, the sixth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq, organizers held a vigil at the crosses, a few months after President Barack Obama was elected in part on a campaign promise to withdraw troops from Iraq.

New crosses are still being put in twice a month.

While Obama is set to withdraw troops from Iraq, he has also said that he will increase the number of troops in Afghanistan. Crosses organizers decided last year to add crosses for troops killed in Afghanistan, as well, bringing the total to more than 4,000.

"I'm hoping that we don't have to have any more crosses up there, but so far that has not happened," Clark said.

Heaton sees Afghanistan and Iraq as two parts of the same war, helping ensure that the monument will endure, he said. But the wooden crosses will not last forever, and the memorial's form
Related Link

"I have many visions of it maybe being a memorial garden where many artists donate their own vision of a memorial to the soldiers who have sacrificed," he said.

Jim Minder sees the display differently — as an insult to soldiers and their families.

He is the co-founder of the Lafayette Flag Brigade, which welcomes soldiers arriving home. The group protested the creation of the crosses; Minder calls it a "mock monument" because those who created it oppose the war.

"You've got to look at the people," he said. "They're against every war. They don't pick good or bad wars."

The vocal protests have stopped, Minder said, because the city is committed to letting the crosses stay, he said.

City officials required cross organizers to shrink the sign displaying the number of troops killed in Iraq. The City Council also changed city law to limit the number of signs on a parcel, so a new display like the crosses would be illegal. Since the crosses were already there, the new law did not affect them.

The city continued to receive letters and phone calls about the crosses after the council debates were done, City Manager Steve Falk said. "The call volume peaked both when the council was in the middle of making the land-use decisions and when the war was at its most controversial."

Now they have trickled off to nearly nothing, he said.

Most military families still oppose the monument, Minder said. Those who like it, he added, should consider the antiwar views of those who created it.

Heaton disagrees.

Military families are some of the people who appreciate the monument most, he said.

"It's become a really legitimate memorial," Heaton said. "People come by and express a lot of gratitude that they have something like this to visit and look at."

Sometimes those people are veterans, he said, and they are often the most grateful.

In the long run, Minder's fear for the crosses resembles Heaton's hope.

"One thing can start out as a mock memorial and it can turn into a real memorial," Minder said. "That's what I was worried about."

Full Moon - November 13, 2008

2008-11-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

Photo by John Eaton

Tending an Orchard of Grief

2008-11-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

From the Los Angeles Times
ON CALIFORNIA: ESSAYS FROM THE GOLDEN STATE
Tending an orchard of grief
'The Crosses of Lafayette,' planted on an East Bay hillside for U.S. war dead, evoke gratitude, fury and resignation.
By Peter H. King

November 10, 2008

Reporting from Lafayette, Calif. — As they emerge from a tunnel cut beneath the Berkeley Hills, Bay Area Rapid Transit trains hauling eastbound commuters home from San Francisco enter a landscape of low hills and tight valleys, shaded by oaks and pines and filled with winding blocks of well-maintained houses.

It is a pleasant enough slice of California, this cluster of small, leafy communities in Contra Costa County, a place where youth sports dominate weekends and school fundraisers tend to succeed; where one of the latest civic initiatives was a vigorous campaign to persuade motorists to slow down.

A few miles down the line, the trains pull in to the elevated station that serves the town of Lafayette. It is at this point that passengers are confronted with a sight that seems jarringly out of place with the pastoral suburban tableau -- a hillside covered with white crosses.

There are thousands of them, each about 3 feet high, scattered from the sidewalk of Deer Hill Road to the brow of the low, broad hill. "In Memory of Our Troops," proclaims a large billboard, halfway up the hill.

In large block numerals, easily seen by BART passengers and motorists on Highway 24, which runs parallel to the tracks, the sign also keeps count of the number of U.S. service members who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

From the start "The Crosses of Lafayette," as the volunteers who maintain the display call it, has provoked a wide and evolving set of emotions.

"It is a shrine for some people, and it is a protest for other people," said Louise Clark, an 83-year-old widow and longtime Lafayette resident who allowed this arresting orchard to be planted on her land.

Two years ago, when the project began in earnest, there was outrage from those who saw the effort not only as an antiwar protest but as one that mocked the price paid by U.S. war dead. In one publicized incident, a former U.S. Marine tore down the sign: "My first reaction," she explained, "was 'What a disgrace to those who have sacrificed.' "

Over time, though, these counter-demonstrations died down. The crosses almost seem to have settled into the landscape, attracting a mix of curious passersby, peace activists, veterans of other wars -- some supportive, others upset -- and friends, families and war comrades of the fallen.

More than a few families have adopted individual crosses, inscribing on them the names of their deceased and decorating them with photographs, flowers, poems, stuffed animals and other trinkets.

Karen Meredith is one. Her only son, Lt. Ken Ballard, a 26-year-old Army tank commander, was killed in 2004. When she heard about the crosses, she recalled, "I was very happy about it, and I could not understand why people would find this offensive. If children are dying in their names, they should understand it and see it every day."

None of this is to suggest that the display has won universal acceptance. "A lot of people around here don't like it," said 51-year-old Neil Kelly, "but they put up with it." He and other volunteers, who gather every other Sunday to plant crosses, repair old ones and groom the hill, still endure sporadic taunts and middle-finger salutes from passing motorists.

"I can see their point," said Clark, the property owner. "It upsets them to drive by and see all those crosses. Well, it upsets me, too. But that is what happened; it's real. Each cross represents someone who has died over there."

The force behind the project is Jeff Heaton, a 55-year-old construction contractor. His parents were close friends of Clark and her husband, who died a year ago. Heaton approached the Clarks in spring 2003, during the early "shock and awe" phase of the Iraq invasion. He received their permission to plant 19 crosses. These were ripped out the first night. He replanted, but with the same result.

"I was disheartened," he said.

More than three years passed before he was persuaded to try again -- by then, the body count was nearing 3,000. In November 2006, with help from assorted peace organizations, Heaton resumed planting crosses, beginning with an initial batch of about 300.

This quickly led to a noisy showdown at City Hall, where opponents of the project failed to persuade the city to step in and abort the project. The city's position was that the crosses were signs and, being less than 4 feet tall, fell under what City Manager Steven B. Falk called "the Realtor's exemption" -- an ordinance meant to facilitate the placement of residential "for sale" signs.

"Our entire analysis was content-free," Falk said.

That did not translate into controversy-free. After the council's unanimous decision to allow the cross project, City Hall was flooded with protest calls and letters. Falk keeps one tacked to his office wall: "You sir," it proclaims, "are un-American and spit on the real graves of our brave soldiers, who have died to defend your right to make a fool of yourself and bring shame on your city in the process."

Such letters, Falk said, have since "tapered off to zero."

Heaton, too, took heat early on. He stood toe to toe with a father who objected to his son's name being placed on a cross. After that confrontation, it was decided that names would be posted only when families requested it. Heaton also removed any signs he considered overtly political, including one that proclaimed the hillside to be "Bush's Garden."

A soft-spoken man and rail-thin, Heaton chooses words with care as he discusses the crosses. Asked if he considered them a war protest or a memorial to the fallen, he paused a few beats before answering.

"It is difficult," he said finally, "to divide that out. I consider it a peace memorial. The point is to sort of in a neutral way show the true impact or effects of the war so that people can work that through in their own way."

He said he's not sure how long the crosses will stay up. That will depend, he said, on the course of the war. Even with a new administration to take command shortly, he's not convinced the conflict, especially in Afghanistan, will wind down soon.

"This could go on for a very long time," he said. "Unfortunately."

As Heaton spoke, volunteers were preparing to plant new crosses made of plastic foam, instead of wood -- an adjustment meant to make the hillside less prone to fire as it grows more congested. A few months ago, the organizers decided to add Afghanistan casualties, creating considerable catch-up work for the cross-makers.

"We are about 600 behind," said Craig Cataline, a 54-year-old carpenter.

This was a few days after the usual Sunday work party. Cataline had come alone to the hillside to perform a particular chore. The father of a Navy medic who has seen combat in Iraq and whose best friend is represented by one of the crosses, Cataline each week updates the sign's death count, which stood at 4,801.

The stocky man followed a well-worn footpath up the hill, carrying a portable screwdriver in one hand and two replacement numerals in the other. As he reached the sign, he stood on the slope and surveyed the forest of crosses.

"I originally saw this as a protest," he said, "but in my own mind I didn't want these kids to be forgotten. Whether you believe the war is folly or not, these poor kids gave their lives for America."

As he spoke, morning traffic hummed by on Highway 24, and a westbound train pulled into the Lafayette station, loaded with commuters bound for jobs in the city.

Cataline extracted several long, wooden screws. He slid out panels that contained a "0" and a "1," replacing them with a "2" and a "4." The number on the sign was now 4,824 -- the total had grown by 23. He reinserted the screws.

"That's it," he said. "That's what I do."

The task had taken him all of three minutes, but the implications . . .

King is a Times staff writer.

peter.king@latimes.com

Memorial Day 2008

2008-05-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge

Memorial Day 2008 at The Crosses of Lafayette. The sign reads 4084 - the number of U.S. Troops killed in Iraq up to that date.

Tony Thurmond

Tony Thurmond is running for California State Assembly. He is endorsed by George Miller and by the Contra Costa Times. Tony spoke at the Memorial Day vigil at the Lafayette Crosses.

Crosses of Lafayette: 4065

2008-05-14T22:58:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge
Photo by Colette Swim-Headley, May 13, 2008

Cross posted on Eschew Obfuscation.

Memorial Day Vigil

2008-05-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Vigil

Monday, May 26, 2008 7:15PM

We will gather to honor those who have lost their lives in this immoral war, grieve the continued violence and destruction in the region.

PLACE: Crosses of Lafayette

Corner of Deer Hill and Oak Hill Road. Across from Lafayette BART

DIRECTIONS: From Oakland/ Berkeley: Take the 24 to the Oak Hill Road exit. Turn left. Turn left again on Deer Hill. You will soon see crosses site on your right. From Concord/ Walnut Creek: Take 24 to Central Lafayette exit. Turn left on Deer Hill Road. You will soon see crosses on your right. BART parking lot is on your left. Or take BART.

Please no candles

Please use crosswalks

Video from the Instant Vigil

2008-03-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a wonderful video from the contra costa times of Monday's Vigil to commemorate the now 4000 troops who have died. Sound and some clips of the wonderful song written about our memorial, "Memorial Day," written and performed by Laura Zucker.

4,000

2008-03-25T10:06:00.001-07:00

4,000 casulties; instant vigil today

2008-03-24T00:11:00.000-07:00

this info was sent to me from baika. the instant vigil to commemorate 4,000 U.S. troops who have fallen in iraq will occur today at 6pm:

Hello all,

Thank you for signing up for the instant vigil list. We will gather at the Crosses of Lafayette tomorrow evening March 24th at 6pm to commemorate the 4000 America soldiers who have died in the Iraq War. We have not yet planned the agenda.

PLEASE ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES TO COME BY FORWARDING THIS POST.

Thank you,

http://icasualties.org/oif/

U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD:
3992
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation: 8
Total 4000
DoD Confirmation List

abc7news covers 5th anniversary of war vigil

2008-03-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

abc news covered the vigil held wednesday night for the 5th anniversary of the war. they report that only 20 volunteers could make it. there post contains the video from the wednesday night broadcast. click watch video in the flash player at the top of the post to see it.

Here's a part of the transcript from the video that we should all reflect on:

John Jensen from Kennsington came to honor his nephew, a casualty of war, after he returned home.

"When he returned he killed himself," said Jensen.

Jensen says American soldiers were attacked by suicide bombers and while trying to protect themselves they also killed innocent people.

"And so they tell them to stay back, don't come any closer, they don't understand English, so they would just kill them," said Jensen.

He wonders how many American soldiers are facing the same moral struggle his nephew faced.

"We all have a mindset of who we are and what our values are and the military tries to change that so that you can do what they need you to do, and it doesn't change forever. People flashback and they want to be who they were when they left," said Jensen.

url: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local&id=6031212

5th Anniversary of War - Vigil Tonight

2008-03-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

There will be a vigil at the crosses tonight marking the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war. Details:

There will be a vigil at the Crosses of Lafayette form 5-8pm. Lynn M. is the point person.

PLEASE REMEMBER...

NO CANDLES, BRING A FLASHLIGHT

USE THE CROSSWALKS

TELL A FRIEND

THIS WILL BE A PEACEFUL VIGIL WITHOUT A PLANNED PROGRAM

Also the instant vigil when US troop casualties have reached 4,000, is still in the works, stay tuned for details.

Instant Vigil When 4,000 Have Died

2008-03-17T23:25:00.000-07:00

3988 American men and women in service have lost their lives in Iraq. When that number reaches 4,000 the crosses memorial organizers plan to hold an instant vigil to for the fallen and to bring the rest of the troops home.

Jeff and Baika wrote in an email:

Hi All,

Just wanted to remind those of you who signed up for instant vigil detail (if you are able to avail yourselves) that we do plan an instant vigil when we reach 4000. Normally we go by www.icasualties.org but we'll go with the flow of the media, should that come in sooner. The count is 3988 as of Saturday. We are paying close attention to this and we also realize that this number is not accurate and that we surpassed the 4000 mark long ago. This number is what the Gold Star Moms go by. We are formulating a plan for the evening at the moment to begin at 6PM.

We do not have anything planned for the anniversary date. We did not want to compete with the march in WC event, but are currently talking about having a quiet vigil at the Crosses on Wednesday evening. Stay tuned.

If you are interested in attending the instant vigil please message me at christopheaton[at]gmail[dot]com and I will forward your request to the main memorial organizers

Award Winning Multimedia

2008-03-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

On Sunday March 16th the San Jose Mercury News announced that several of its pieces won awards in the 65th Annual Pictures of the Year International Competition including first place for the multimedia news story, Hillside display of crosses: A war of emotions by the talented photo journalist Pauline Lubens .

Created in May, the peace is a wonderful collage of video, photos, and voice over interviews with people for and against the war and the hillside memorial. It does a good job of recounting the beginings of the memorial, early vandalism, the pro-war rallies held against the memorial and contains many voices supporting or deriding the memorial. It truly is one of the best pieces I've seen and I recommend everyone watch it:
www.mercurynewsphoto.com/blog/2007/05/28/a-hillside-display-of-crosses-a-war-of-emotions/

On a tangential note, I would like to point out one voice who's derision does not deride from her feelings about the war. Rather she thinks the crosses representing death have no public place in a wholesome community like Lafayette. This harks back to one of my interests when starting this blog, what does the presence of the memorial mean for and about an affluent suburban community?

Rep George Miller at the Memorial

2008-03-07T01:26:00.000-08:00

From last summer, Rep George Miller comes to the crosses memorial to reflect on our fallen soldiers, our failed pointless war, and pressuring congress to bring them home.

Sign Ordinance?

2008-02-28T01:17:00.000-08:00

A interesting little slice of lafayette from spring '07 when a few people tried to make the city council take down our memorial by saying they violated sign ordinances that prevented businesses from putting up to many ads. i like the discussion of lafayette's history of "protecting" its hillsides, i am not sure if it stems from land slides or property owners wanting to keep things scenic.

crosses on 10 seconds of french tv!

2008-02-22T18:09:00.000-08:00

Theres a lot of great youtube videos featuring the crosses (at least 32!). I'll be posting them over the next couple of weeks but you can find them now on favorited on my lafayette crosses youtube page.

This one is a french tv segment on lafayette (the name is french, i guess) and the last 10 seconds show our memorial contre le guerre. If anyone can translate the video, it would be great to post

originally posted by stevenfalk

Call for Links

2008-02-20T15:55:00.000-08:00

To all the fans of the crosses out there,

I'm going to do something I've meant to do for a long time and collect all the wonderful videos, photos, and posts that people have made about the crosses and repost them myself to this blog. You'll be able to find them by clicking on the citizen media link in the navigation bar above.

So if you have something regarding the lafayette crosses hillside iraq war memorial online or know of something please post the link in the comments!

Thanks for your support!
-chris

Presidents Day Vigil 02/18/08

2008-02-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

KTVU has a segment on last nights vigil.

I unfortunately was not there but Janine de la Vega of KTVU reports there were roughly 70 people there. They reminds us to remember the war and its fallen even when we are distracted by the economy and presidential elections. 3961 military men and woman have died since the war began. Another vigil is being planned when the number of casualties reaches 4000.

Watch video on ktvu.com

Crosses - January 28, 2008

2008-02-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

Click to enlarge

Cross posted at Eschew Obfuscation.

Crosses Vigil Feb 18th 5pm

2008-01-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

Interfaith Vigil

Monday, February 18, 2008 5:00PM

Fellowship for peace. Sing for peace.

PLACE: Crosses of Lafayette

Corner of Deer Hill and Oak Hill Road. Across from Lafayette BART

DIRECTIONS: From Oakland/ Berkeley: Take the 24 to the Oak Hill Road exit. Turn left. Turn left again on Deer Hill. You will soon see crosses site on your right. From Concord/ Walnut Creek: Take 24 to Central Lafayette exit. Turn left on Deer Hill Road. You will soon see crosses on your right. BART parking lot is on your left.

Speakers:

Rev. Will McGarvey

Rev. Will McGarvey is pastor at Community Presbyterian Church, in Pittsburg, CA. He is the Chair of the Justice, Advocacy and Caring

Committee of the Presbytery of San Francisco, and also the Vice-

President of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County.

Dr. Amer Araim
is adjunct professor of the Middle East and political science at Cal State University at San Francisco and Diablo Valley College. He is a former Iraqi diplomat and United Nations staff member. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Interfaith Council of Contra Costa County and is Imam at Dar-ul-Islam Mosque in Concord. He is a resident of Walnut Creek.

Rev. Baika Andrea Pratt

Rev Baika Pratt coordinates the volunteers for the Crosses Project. She is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest from the Berkeley Zen Center and Central Valley Zen Center, a Hospice worker and leads the Mt Diablo Zen Group in Pleasant Hill.She is a resident of Martinez.

Stuart Berman

TBA

Song Leader(s):

Erin Stokes Oliver
&
TBA

Sponsored by:

Crosses of Lafayette
Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center
Lamorinda Peace & Justice Group
Buddhist Peace Fellowship

Christmas Eve 2007

2007-12-26T10:05:00.001-08:00

Click to enlarge

November 11, 2007

2007-11-16T17:20:00.001-08:00

The "Crosses of Lafayette" project was started back on Veterans Day in 2006. Veterans Day is an American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is celebrated on the same day as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

Here is a picture from December 1, 2006 when the number of troops killed in Iraq was 2,885.

December 1, 2006

Now the number is higher by more than 1,000 heroes.

November 11, 2007

In Lafayette, California, we are trying to make a difference. And we owe a debt of gratitude to Louise Clark.

Louise Clark

Veterans Day Vigil

2007-11-04T16:36:00.000-08:00

Sunday, November 11, 2007 5:15 pm
We will come together in peaceful fellowship, to express our grief for the loss of life in Iraq and our determination to put an end to this war. Please join us.

PLACE: The Crosses of Lafayette

Speaking at the Veteran's Day Vigil will be:

Louise Clark - Crosses of Lafayette

Janet Thomas - Lamorinda Peace and Justice Group

Bob Hanson - Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center

Jeffrey Heaton - Crosses of Lafayette

Senator Tom Torlakson

Assemblymember Mark DeSaulnier

The Senator will be speaking at approximately 5:40pm, Assemblymember at 6:00 pm.

DIRECTIONS: From Oakland/ Berkeley: Take highway 24 east to the Oak Hill Road exit. Turn left. Turn left again on Deer Hill. The crosses are ahead on the right, and parking on the left. From Concord/ Walnut Creek: Take highway 24 west to the Central Lafayette exit. Turn left on Deer Hill Road.

The crosses are on the right, and parking on the left.

Sponsored by: The Crosses of Lafayette, Mt. Diablo Peace & Justice Center, Lamorinda Peace & Justice Group, Buddhist Peace Fellowship

The Crosses Inspire Young People!

2007-10-16T17:57:00.000-07:00

I received this wonderful letter and video link on Monday. Be sure to watch the video at the bottom of the post:

Chris:

Last week, my wife and I, Benicia residents, were out of town on a business trip and left our 15 year old son, David, in the care of Lafayette friends for the week, so that he could continue to attend his sophomore classes at De La Salle HS in Concord during our absence. We had previously spoken to our children about the Lafayette crosses and the important symbolism they provide.

During his Lafayette stay, David became so moved by the memorial that he spontaneously made a video entitled "What is War," which features the crosses in the closing scene. I was shocked at how powerful the video came across and how the memorial drove home the video's message in the end. The video has been uploaded onto YouTube and can be accessed at the link below.

I know that the memorial has spurred controversy from some who are in denial, or who are too closed minded or self-centered to appreciate that there can be no more patriotic message of support for our troops than that conveyed by the Lafayette crosses. Therefore, the purpose of this note is to let those brave, untiring individuals behind the memorial know that it is appreciated, and that there is at least one more young person who has been educated and spurred to action by its message. As his father, and a strong supporter, I also thank you for that.

Stephen Gizzi, Esq.

Video Url: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mhXzcZNpFWs

Crosses of Lafayette: Gold Star Moms and Vandalism

2007-09-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

Photo by John Eaton
This photo is an event honoring Gold Star Mothers at the Crosses of Lafayette on Sunday, September 23, 2007.

Later that night vandals struck the memorial. This from Tuesday's Contra Costa Times: Vandals attacked the memorial crosses in Lafayette on Sunday night or Monday morning, leaving pieces of broken, jagged wood lying haphazardly at the bases of those left standing.

Of the 3,623 crosses lining the hillside as a memorial for American troops killed in Iraq, between 150 and 300 of the crosses have been knocked down or destroyed, said Chris Donton, a site organizer.

150 to 300 Crosses Smashed by Vandals

2007-09-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

(via Contra Costa Times) Sadly, the hillside memorial has been vandalized again, Paul Thissen at the cct writes:

Vandals attacked the memorial crosses in Lafayette Sunday night or Monday morning, leaving pieces of jagged wood lying at the bases of those left standing.
Of the 3,623 crosses that lined the hillside as a memorial for each American soldier killed in Iraq, between 150 and 300 of the crosses have been knocked down or destroyed, said Chris Donton, a site organizer.
"We'll rebuild," Donton said. "They think this is going to stop us. Sure."
The vandalism came the night after a gathering at the memorial in honor of Gold Star Mothers' Day, honoring those who have lost children in the war. One Gold Star Mother, Karen Meredith, and about 15 others attended.
The site has been vandalized before, Donton said. A larger sign counting the number of soldiers who have died in Iraq has been knocked down, and small numbers of crosses have been knocked down or removed.
This time the damage was more serious, but Donton said he didn't expect to have trouble recruiting help to get the memorial back in shape.

800,000

2007-09-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

(via Eschew Obfuscation)

John Eaton reports:

The sign at the Crosses of Lafayette memorial was changed briefly from the number of US Troops killed in Iraq to the number of Iraqis who have died during Bush's distastrous misadventure.

The sign simply said: 800,000

Chris Donton's wonderful pictures

2007-07-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

Chris Donton has many wonderful pictures of the memorial at artwanted.com.

url: http://www.artwanted.com/artist.cfm?ArtID=31885

Protest or Appropriation? Pro War Rally at the Lafayette Crosses Pts 3 & 4

2007-03-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

On March 8th the pro-war group, Move America Forward (MAF), staged a rally at the Lafayette Hillside Iraq War memorial that was built and is maintained by anti-war activists. MAF awful group with horrible credentials. Read about them at sourcewatch or a well informed comment on this page.

Pt 3: Speeches

This video contains the Speeches from the pro-war rally. With anger and threats they proclaim that the troops can only be supported with blind-faith in the administration. To them appropriating our memorial of peace bolsters their self-righteous belief that their way is the true American way. Download or link to video of speeches.

Pt 4: The Bikers

The only thing I enjoyed about the pro-war rally was the presence of about 2 dozen bikers. Despite their politics I thought they were fun and they were the most chilled out pro-war folks at the rally. Regarding the bikers, jimstaro posted this on dailykos:

In a CNN report on the DC actions today:

‘Crowds gather to denounce, support war Veterans, some from the Rolling Thunder motorcycle group, lined up at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
"I'm not sure I'm in support of the war," said William "Skip" Publicover of Charleston, South Carolina, who was a swift boat gunner in Vietnam and lost two friends whose names are etched on the memorial's wall.
"I learned in Vietnam that it's difficult if not impossible to win the hearts and minds of the people."’

Rolling Thunder, at least the leadership and many who aren't Vets are running with the so called 'Move America Forward' group.

I won't go into the History of 'Rolling Thunder' except to say that Many of the Real'Nam Veterans held this as a Great Tradition, once started, till they figured out the extreme right swing of the leadership and that many allowed to join weren't veterans. Some still participate but stay clear of using 'The Wall' or any other Memorial as a Political Statement!
Will also add that some of those, who are 'Nam Vets, and run with these groups, like this 'Move America Forward' were in Total Opposition of even having 'The Wall' Built!!

Download or link to video of bikers.

Protest or Appropriation: Pro-War Rally Held at Our Memorial Pts 1 & 2

2007-03-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

Part 1: Sights and Sounds

On March 8th the pro-war group, Move America Forward, staged a rally at the Lafayette Hillside Iraq War memorial that was built and is maintained by anti-war activists. The rally was the groups first stop on a cross country caravan to DC. They used our spatial representation of the cost of the war to serve there agenda, unquestioning aproval of the Bush regime and continous warfare and attacking the peace movement as cowardly. Many of the Move America Forward protesters have or have lost love one in Iraq and as the blogger, Insane Begger, commented on my last post, they express their pain as anger at those who want to honor the soldiers but not the war. Perhaps, they see the Lafayette Memorial as simply an attack on the Bush war policy and not as an attempt to create a culture that is aware of what war really means. What comes across is there agression and as one anti-war activist observeded "I've never seen so much machismo on International Women's Day." For sights and sounds from the Pro-War rally link to or download this video.

Pt 2: Ballad of a Stollen Name

At the Move America Forward rally a Goldstar father found his son's name on a cross. Understandably, he became very offended that his son's name was being used for a memorial with goals that ran counter to his own politics. However he dealt with the situation in an agrressive and bullyish way using the situation to attack the anti-war movement and the memorial organizer. Memorial volunteers and Goldstar Mothers for Peace had put the names of fallen Californian soldiers on various crosses on the hillside. Among the volunteers the use of names was debated and the majority wanted them taken down. The anger of the pro-war Goldstar father brings into perspective the problem with having names on the crosses. The names and his anger at anti-war activists shifts the memorial to specific people and away from the policy of war in general. The altercation between the Goldstar father and anti-war activists also reveals the problem with the pro-war rally itself, it attacked peace-activists as people and did not address their goals for government and foriegn policy. For one story from the culture war link to or download this video.

Pro-War Rally Appropriates the Lafayette Crosses

2007-03-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

On March 8th, the pro-war activist group, Move America Forward, staged a rally at the Lafayette Crosses Hillside Memorial. Lafayette was the first stop on their cross country caravan to Washington, DC where they will demonstrate in support of the war on March 17th. The best footage can be came from KTVU with both a general report and a clip of a "debate" between an angry Goldstar father and memorial organizer Jeff Heaton. CBS Channel 5 and NBC Channel 11 also covered the story. The Oakland Tribune has run an article.

The rally called the memorial a mock cemetary that disgraces American soldiers. It seemed to me that they used the occasion to attack and discredit the peace movement rather than explain why an undefined and continous war on terror supports the troops. I say this because what I saw was flag waving and aggression, what I heard was hate, not a message. This might not be surmized from the videos above but my own footage should follow on Sunday.

Building & Painting

2007-03-06T23:35:00.000-08:00

Now that over 3,000 crosses stand at the Lafayette hillside memorial to the Iraq war, I figure it is a good time to share some pretty footage of what it was like to build and paint a cross. Download or link to video (1:01 min).

On Mar 4th A Cross for Every Fallen Soldier

2007-03-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

3,170 crosses now stand at the Lafayette Hillside Memorial, one for every soldier who has died in Iraq. While the number of crosses will continue to meet the ever increasing number of war dead the site will now shift from a community art project in production to a space for gatherings and reflection. ABC Channel 7 News covered the event on Sunday. Link to Video. SF Gate also published a better video with voice overs of activist interviews. Link to SF Gate Video.

An article in the SF Chronicle followed on Monday. The blog eschew obfuscation has also posted about it.

Caravan for the War to Stop at Crosses Thursday

2007-03-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

In a reverse of its normal use, the Lafayette memorial will be the first stop of a pro-war caravan heading to DC. A Contra Costa Times article by Katherine Tam reports:

"The Lafayette crosses that have become a gathering spot for Iraq war opponents is slated to be the first stop Thursday for a support-the-troops caravan en route to Washington, D.C.

Move America Forward, a Sacramento group that supports the war against terrorism including military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, is organizing a coast-to-coast caravan that's scheduled to leave San Francisco March 8 and reach Lafayette about 10 a.m.

The group plans to hold a 30-minute rally at the crosses blanketing a hillside on Deer Hill Road. Local supporters plan to give caravan members flags, letters from soldiers and other items to take to the nation's capital."

A Spatialized Debate

2007-02-26T23:05:00.000-08:00

The Lafayette Crosses Hillside Memorial to the US soldiers killed in Iraq manifests two phenomena within the anti-war movement. One is the prominence of aesthetic/spatial representations of the cost of the war such as the Lafayette memorial, Arlington West and the Quaker organized traveling memorial of empty boots. The other is activism in affluent suburbs. Interestingly, these phenomena became more apparent when signs voicing their opposition to the memorial were put up across the street. The new signs protest how the memorial exposes children to death and in doing so exposes the struggle over space and values in suburbia. This video attempts to expose how space and values are constructed together in suburban California. I hope it gives others in the anti-war movement a chance to reflect and learn. To watch or download video, click here.

Podcast from KCBS news

2007-02-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

Doug Sovern reports on a podcast from kcbs news. Includes brief interviews with organizer Jeff Heaton an a Marine Corp vet. To download podcast click here.

Links 1/29-2/24/07

2007-02-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

Andrew McGall From the community: How many crosses will it take? An opinion peice in the 2/24/07 contra costa times

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March 17 Rally in Walnut Creek

2007-02-24T12:35:00.000-08:00

More info at Mt. Diablo Peace and Justice Center or starvewarfeedpeace.org

Finished Gallery at SeatoSea

2007-02-23T20:13:00.000-08:00

Ko Blix has finished a wonderful photogallery of the memorial at seatosee.net. It comes in five sections,

To Make and Paint
To Carry and Plant
To Mourn
To Witness
Silent Witness.

Feb 12 City & Activists Make Deal: TV News Coverage

2007-02-14T19:01:00.000-08:00

On Febuary 12th The Mayor, City Council and Memorial activists signed a Mutual Agreement of Understanding on to reduce the size of the Lafayette memorial's sign by half. Also, they agreed not to have candles at the base of each cross during future vigils. KTVU Channel 2 News reports on both what activists have to say at the Febuary 11th work day and the city council meeting itself. NBC 11 also reports.

Background: In November, when the memorial project began with 300 crosses, contreversy arose with in the east Bay Area suburbs. Peace activists and others quickly shouted there support while some condemned the project as a desecration to our troops and country. The contreversy hightened when a vandal knocked down the memorials sign that reads the number of war-dead. The city got ivolved when some people demanded it be taken down because the sign was larger than the sign ordinance allowed. A city council meeting was held on November 27th where people passionatley debated over the memoial's merits. I linked to a video of the 11/27/06 city counil meeting here video here.

Captain Neon and Other Illuminated Objects

2007-02-12T22:18:00.000-08:00

On the days surrounding the January 11th vigil against troop escalation, a local artist named Erik, aka Captain Neon, donated an illuminated sign for the hillside memorial. The neon sign displayed the number of war-dead at the time. I decided to highlight the neon with this video. I also included other electrically lit objects captured at the vigil. I hope this frenzied collection of shots destabilizes and then illuminates the social and material context of the war and the memorial with in contemporary suburbia. Link to Video.

Against Escalation Pt2: A Song For Peace -betterquality

2007-02-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

I discovered a remarkably better video format to use and believe this video is worth revisiting in better quality.

Footage from the January 11ths vigil to protest troop escalation where “This Little Light of Mine” was sang. Roughly 300 people came to the rally at the war memorial in suburban California. Link to video.

Great Crosses Photos on SeatoSeedotnet

2007-02-08T23:31:00.000-08:00

Lafayette Iraq Memorial volunteer, Ko Blix, has posted great photos from the memorial at the page seatoseadotnet. Please go take a look at his To Make and Paint a Cross and January 12th Vigil: A Surge of Prostest.

Photos by Ko. on top we see organizer Jeff Heaton with many unpainted crosses. Below, Captain Neon adjusts the illuminated sign he made on the January 11th vigil.

A Demonstration Against Escalation: Pt 2 -A Song for Peace-

2007-02-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

Footage from the January 11ths vigil to protest troop escalation where “This Little Light of Mine” was sang. Roughly 300 people came to the rally at the war memorial in suburban California. Link to Video.

A Demonstration Against Escalation: Pt 1 -Set Up & Arrival

2007-01-30T00:11:00.000-08:00

Footage from setting up for January 11ths candlelight vigil to protest troop escalation. The singing of “We Shall Overcome” comes from latter in the rally. The event drew roughly 300 people to the war memorial.

Footage from the meat of this rally to follow later this week.

Link to v ideo.

what other blogs are saying about the crosses

2007-01-29T22:21:00.000-08:00

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official website for crosses

2007-01-28T20:45:00.000-08:00

Organizer Jeff Heaton has created a website for the crosses of lafayette. It consists of an artist statement and links to sites about similar projects from around the country. Link to site here.

Excerpt:

The Crosses of Lafayette represent a public demonstration of the number of United States Soldiers who have died in Iraq since the beginning of the war. The crosses signify a memorial to those soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in the service of our country. The crosses are not intended to representation a religious affiliation. The authors of this project and website support exploring the causes of war, finding a way to swiftly end the present conflict, and prevent future wars from ever happening.

We realize that many people who see the crosses on the hillside directly north of the Lafayette California Bart/Metro Station will possibly feel the stirring of many different emotions. I can assure you that is our primary goal and intent.

Whether you support the war in Iraq or are against the war, it is clear that a majority of the citizens of the United States of America lack awareness of the devastating effects to the families that have lost love ones due to the war. It is our goal to create an available memorial where the grief that naturally comes when a loved one is lost in battle can be experienced. I recently constructed the first few concrete crosses that are to be placed on the hillside, and the sorrow I have felt as a result of my endeavor has been profoundly moving.

...

We are also encouraging those who drive by The Crosses of Lafayette on HWY 24 to slow down to 55mph as a salute and tribute to the bravery of the soldiers who gave up their lives in battle for our freedom to live in peace. It is our belief that if everyone in North America where to slow down to 55mph that our need to import oil from the middle east would drop significantly.

link to http://thecrossesoflafayette.com/

Memorial Verite 1/7/07

2007-01-10T22:14:00.000-08:00

video montage by chris eaton

A a rough documentation of the workday on Sunday January 7th, when 185 more crosses were added to the memorial. Now over 1200 crosses are present on the hill. Three Goldstar Mothers, who have children who died in Iraq, came to mourn and show their support for the project. They spoke and read names of soldiers killed in the war. The video includes short clips from an interview with organizer, Jeff Heaton.

Link to Video

A note on quality: My video compression software is down. As soon as I can make the picture better, i will.

11/27 Town Hall Meeting

2007-01-10T01:34:00.000-08:00

NBC 11's coverage of the November 27th Town Hall meeting where that drew "supporters, opponents of Lafayette Cross display." Link to Video.

Coverage of Sun 1/7/07: Goldstarmothers

2007-01-08T23:39:00.000-08:00

ABC Channel 7 reports on Sunday, when 3 Goldstar Mothers came to the Lafayette Crosses memorial site. Scroll down a bit to find the video at this link.

NBC 11 as well as KRON channel 4 were there as well but I am still trying to find their videos.

A Christmas Mystery

2007-01-06T20:16:00.000-08:00

On Christmas eve an anonymous person tied red ribbons to many of the crosses. With such actions, and their inverse of vandalism, the power of anonymity appears. A christmas miracle will always make the evening news. KTVU channel 2 reports.

Veteran Plays Taps at the Memorial

2007-01-04T22:05:00.000-08:00

World War II veteran Robert Heaton plays taps at the Lafayette War Memorial. Upon filming, Mr. Heaton said he first played taps for WWI soldiers when he was 13.

Link to video.

A note on sound: After equalization proved useless to reduce the noise of background traffic, I decided to keep the sound as it was recorded. In this way I hope the sounds echo the very public presence of a memorial set in a commuter town where driving is the way of life. I hope the overheard conversation reflects the busy and communal effort of the project.

2 more news clips on youtube

2007-01-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

Zombietimedotcom has posted two news clips to youtube. One from abc and another from nbc. Conservative and liberal view points are voiced in both videos.

Crosses on blip.tv

2007-01-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

A video with good background information on the memorial has been posted on blip.tv. link to video. The same video is also on youtube.

KTVU Reports On Candle Light Vigil

2007-01-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

On December 31, 2006 more than 80 people gathered for a candle light vigil to commemorate the surpassing of 3000 US soldiers killed in Iraq. KTVU Chanel 2 news reported. link to video

Multimedia Links

2007-01-02T18:31:00.000-08:00

From the Blogs

Counting Coffins: The best piece I've seen on the crosses with great activist interviews. Posted by Seditia on Youtube.

SeatoSea.net has posted a wonderful photo gallery of the memorial.

Tubular TV has posted a video on Blip.tv that gives a greatbackround on the memorial in a classic documentary style.

Mainstream Media

Goldstarmothers: ABC Channel 7's coverage of the January 7th workday attended by Goldstarmothers.

Vigil: KTVU reports on the December 31sth vigil attended by more than 80 people to commemorate the number of fallen US soldiers passing 3,000.

A Chistmas Mystery: KTVU Channel 2's coverage of Christmas Eve when an anonymous person tied red ribbons to many of the crosses.

Town Hall Meeting: NBC 11's coverage of the November 27th Town Hall meeting where that drew "supporters, opponents of Lafayette Cross display."

Links to Articles and Blogs

2007-01-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

The Crosses of Lafayette: Organizer Jeff Heaton has created this website for the crosses of lafayette. It consists of an artist statement and links to sites about similar projects from around the country.

Eschew Obfuscation: A Lafayette based proggressive blog by my dad, John Eaton. It contains more posts, links, and photos of the memorial than any site on the web.

Zombie Time: An anti-left blog with a comprehensive post, "The Lafayette Mock War Memorial," about the crosses with many great pictures.

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lafayettecrosses

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The Story So Far

2007-01-02T18:14:00.001-08:00

under construction

About

2007-01-02T18:14:00.000-08:00

Background

In November of 2006 residents of Lafayette, CA and neighboring towns began to put up crosses above Deer Hill Rd acoss from the Lafayette commuter rail station and Highway 24. The crosses are meant to represent and memorialize the American soldiers who have died in the ongoing Iraqi war. A large sign above the crosses displays of the number war dead. By the end of March 2008, a cross has been put up for each of the 4000 troops who have died. During its existence the memorial has rallied awareness of the cost of the Iraqi war and garnered wide media coverage. However, it has also evoked anger, contreversy, legal threats, at least two acts of vandalism and more recently, counter protests.

Mission Statement

This video web log is a multimedia exploration of the Lafayette, CA memorial to the more than three thousand US soldiers killed in Iraq. Here we critically interogate the phenomena of anti-war activism in afluent suburbs, why it has provoked controversy and why has it received country wide media coverage. We further ask what do the efforts for and against the memorial signify for the state of American life and if the memorial suggests a shift in the cultural and demographic climate of the suburban Bay Area.

Rather than "accurately" report on the memorial project, lafayettecrosses.blogspot.com seeks to expand perspective and understanding of life in the United States. We hope that the expanded understanding encompasses the political, legal, religious, symbolic and emotional elements of American lives, their interactions and their media. Perhaps a better understanding of home will guide us towards a new path abroad. I hope this new path brings the troops home immediatley.

All of my footage (but not all of that which I link to) is under a creative commons licence. Feel free use it in whatever way, however I'd like to hear about it if you do.

About the Blogger

Chris Eaton was raised in Lafayette and currently lives in Oakland. He graduated from Acalanes High School in 2002 and Brown University in 2006. Chris is pursuing a career in media. His homepage is www.chriseaton.net, keeps the blog afuturedistributed.blogspot.com, and he can be contacted at christopheaton[at]gmail(dot)com

Header photo and photos on about page by john eaton (chris's dad!)... he blogs @ eschew obfuscation

Videos

2007-01-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

Videos by Chris Eaton

Building and Painting: Good looking footage of hammering together and painting crosses.

A Spatialized Debate: Across the street, signs protesting the non "family friendly" nature of the memorial reveal the confluence of space and values in suburbia.

Captain Neon And Other Illuminated Objects
Electrically lit objects from the Januarary 11th vigil.

Demonstration Against Escalation Pt2: A Song for Peace
Footage from January 11ths vigil.

Demonstration Against Escalation Pt1: Set Up & Arrival

Memorial Verite
Footage from the January 7th workday attended by gold star mothers.

Taps
WWII vet, Robert Heaton, play taps over a bullhorn.

The Crosses of Lafayette

New Video from RockBridge Productions

Crosses in New York Times - October 2010

Iraq War - 6th Anniversary

Full Moon - November 13, 2008

Tending an Orchard of Grief

Memorial Day 2008

Crosses of Lafayette: 4065

Memorial Day Vigil

Video from the Instant Vigil

4,000

4,000 casulties; instant vigil today

abc7news covers 5th anniversary of war vigil

5th Anniversary of War - Vigil Tonight

Instant Vigil When 4,000 Have Died

Award Winning Multimedia

Rep George Miller at the Memorial

Sign Ordinance?

crosses on 10 seconds of french tv!

Call for Links

Presidents Day Vigil 02/18/08

Crosses - January 28, 2008

Crosses Vigil Feb 18th 5pm

Christmas Eve 2007

November 11, 2007

Veterans Day Vigil

The Crosses Inspire Young People!

Crosses of Lafayette: Gold Star Moms and Vandalism

150 to 300 Crosses Smashed by Vandals

800,000

Chris Donton's wonderful pictures

Protest or Appropriation? Pro War Rally at the Lafayette Crosses Pts 3 & 4

Protest or Appropriation: Pro-War Rally Held at Our Memorial Pts 1 & 2

Pro-War Rally Appropriates the Lafayette Crosses

Building & Painting

On Mar 4th A Cross for Every Fallen Soldier

Caravan for the War to Stop at Crosses Thursday

A Spatialized Debate

Podcast from KCBS news

Links 1/29-2/24/07

del.icio.us 1/29-2/24

March 17 Rally in Walnut Creek

Finished Gallery at SeatoSea

Feb 12 City & Activists Make Deal: TV News Coverage

Captain Neon and Other Illuminated Objects

Against Escalation Pt2: A Song For Peace -betterquality

Great Crosses Photos on SeatoSeedotnet

A Demonstration Against Escalation: Pt 2 -A Song for Peace-

A Demonstration Against Escalation: Pt 1 -Set Up & Arrival

what other blogs are saying about the crosses

delicious links from 1/11-1/29/06

official website for crosses

Memorial Verite 1/7/07

11/27 Town Hall Meeting

Coverage of Sun 1/7/07: Goldstarmothers

A Christmas Mystery

Veteran Plays Taps at the Memorial

2 more news clips on youtube

Crosses on blip.tv

KTVU Reports On Candle Light Vigil

Multimedia Links

Links to Articles and Blogs

Sites of Note

del.icio.us 1/29-2/24

delicious links from 1/11-1/29/06

delicious links in chronological order from 11/11

The Story So Far

About

Videos