Lake View Cemetery assistant manager Craig Lohr declined to speak to the Capitol Hill Times about the latest call for the private cemetery to remove a memorial to Confederate soldiers, saying he was too busy and needed to focus on real work.
We wonder how busy he will be when the people who are calling for the removal of this symbol of racist nationalism from a part of our history we should be ashamed of but never forget decide their final resting place should be anywhere but Lake View Cemetery.
If we had anyone buried there, we’d seriously consider getting a refund and paying the high cost of relocation. There must be a few cemeteries in Seattle that don’t have chunks of concrete honoring those who fought for slavery.
We understand through other sources that Lohr deemed worthy of speaking to that the Lake View Cemetery Association has its lawyers looking into what legal options it has regarding the United Confederate Veterans Memorial, which is great. We’re surprised they haven’t already done this before, considering this is not the first time people have asked that Lake View Cemetery remove this testament to hate.
Honestly, we were surprised that, considering the recent national attention on Civil War monuments honoring those who fought on the wrong side of history and a desire to have them removed, Lake View Cemetery seemed to have been blindsided by this week’s criticism. We assume the only time they think about the memorial is when it gets tagged with graffiti.
Lake View Cemetery even went as far as to lock its gates on Wednesday due to the large number of calls it was receiving from people threatening to remove it themselves. We watched as people who truly wanted to mourn their loved ones had to either walk across the street to Lake View’s office or speak to a man standing by the gate, who essentially took on the position of bouncer. Heads up, the hottest club in Capitol Hill is now Lake View Cemetery, where people are literally dying to get in.
We honestly don’t feel that anyone at Lake View Cemetery is a racist or harbors any sense of pride in being known for having a memorial for Confederate soldiers mixed in with their more family friendly attractions like the gravesite of Bruce Lee, but it offends us to no end that a nonprofit association would prefer to remain silent about this offensive memorial and its place in their cemetery than put down a definitive opinion regarding its place in Capitol Hill.
If you share this opinion that the cemetery needs to do a better job about addressing this eyesore, don’t just sign a petition, let them know. Don’t just sign a petition or share a tweet or Facebook post. Call them up and tell them where you stand. And, if you have a loved one who is having to share space with a tribute to people who supported and fought to keep racism in America, tell them you’re seriously thinking of taking your family elsewhere. It may be an empty threat, but maybe it will get the Lake View Cemetery Association to finally wake up and make a definitive stand on which side of history it wants to be on.
Lake View Cemetery can be reached at 206-322-1582. You may also email Craig Lohr atcraig@lakeviewseattle.com. We had to call more than a dozen times before Lohr answered. If he wants to call us back, we’ll certainly answer.