A Prince George woman who visited her dad’s grave at Memorial Park Cemetery on Father’s Day was shocked to learn, one week later, that someone had wilfully damaged his headstone as part of a vandalism rampage.
Sometime during the night Sunday, June 22 or early Monday, June 23, 21 grave markers were knocked over and four were damaged.
A city staff member called the woman and the other plot owners to inform them of the damage. The tipped markers that were not damaged were returned to their original positions and the site were cleaned up.
“It just makes me mad because, as families, you’re already hit with a loss and every time this happens it’s another slap in the face,” said the woman, who wants to remain anonymous.
“I just feel if you don’t say anything you’re just allowing this to happen, nothing is going to change. I know the majority of people probably aren’t affected because they don’t have loved ones here, but if they did have family here they’d feel the same way. I just feel the city should be more responsible.”
One corner at the back of her father’s large black marble headstone was chipped off and the there were scrapes left on the polished face of the stone, likely after someone purposely hit it with a hammer or heavy metal object. She’s hoping the damage can be repaired.
Her father’s damaged grave was in the Chinese section at the southernmost part of the cemetery, which is out of the line of site of motorists driving by on Highway 16. She would like to see that section fenced to prevent people from accessing the grave sites from the adjacent greenbelt.The tipped markers covered a wide expanse of the cemetery, starting near the front gate.
She would also like to see video surveillance cameras throughout graveyard. There are cameras that cover the mausoleum buildings near the entrance to the cemetery.
“If they knew there were cameras, maybe they’d think twice,” she said. “It’s not like the first time it’s happened, it’s a known problem.”
A site worker said there are many unlit areas in the park which would make cameras ineffective as a deterrent to vandals.
Cemetery vandalism in the city on such a large scale is a rare occurrence. In November 2013, eight grave markers were knocked over and one was damaged in the most recent reported incident.
“The city is incredibly disappointed by this situation,” said city spokesperson Claire Thwaites in an email to the Citizen. “Vandalism of any kind is terrible, but to target a cemetery is despicable. The RCMP were notified and attended. A file was created after reviewing available security footage of our CCTV system.”
