User:Cgingold/Lafayette

The Lafayette Hillside Memorial is an array of crosses and a large sign on private property overlooking California State Route 24 just outside the town of Lafayette in Contra Costa County, California, which serves as a memorial for soldiers killed in the Iraq War. The memorial was first erected in late 2003 by Jeffrey Heaton and 81-year-old Louise Clark, on land owned by Clark and her husband Johnson Clark. Soon after its initial creation, the 15 crosses were removed by vandals. which raised controversy in November 2006. In November 2006 Heaton and Clark re-added the crosses onto Clark's property, but this time there were 300 crosses and a large sign that read: "In Memory of 3,000 U.S. Troops Killed In Iraq". The sign has been defaced twice since: once it was knocked down and on another occasion, painted with black tar. Both times the sign was brought back to previous quality. By February 26th, 2006 the number of crosses, mixed with a few Stars of David and Islamic crescents, had passed 2500 in number. Crosses have been added by volunteers and some paid for by the Lamorinda Peace Group and Grandmothers for Peace.

City regulations do not allow signs larger than 4 square feet, but make an exemption for memorials and historic markers. The sign, which will be updated every week with the continuing death toll for soldiers in Iraq, is roughly 64 square feet.