Maryland Developers Are Trying to Desecrate a Black Cemetery—Again

In Bethesda, Maryland—considered one of America’s most prosperous communities—a few of its residents reside atop and park their vehicles on a Black American cemetery that has existed for greater than a century.

For many years, the white residents of the world have been largely unaware of the cemetery. But regardless of its existence being recognized at the moment, town authorities appears to favor the reality to stay buried in order that it will possibly promote the land, together with the stays of Black People, to builders for greater than $50 million.

A cemetery that was greater than a cemetery

In 1911, the descendants of previously enslaved Marylanders constructed Moses Macedonia African Cemetery, and ever because it had been a significant piece in Bethesda’s predominantly Black neighborhood alongside River Street.

“The neighborhood was an important place to reside throughout this time. We have been a giant comfortable neighborhood. All people loving everyone,” mentioned Harvey Matthews, who grew up on River Street within the Fifties.

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Matthews has fond recollections enjoying cover and search at Moses Macedonia African Cemetery, which neighbored his childhood dwelling and was not removed from Macedonia Baptist Church, the place he’s nonetheless a member. However the specter of racial violence and terror was by no means far-off.

For River Street’s Black neighborhood, the cemetery had additionally turn out to be its playground as a result of the segregated public parks have been off limits. But by the late Fifties and early Nineteen Sixties, the Black neighborhood’s tranquility had been shattered by the rising presence of the Ku Klux Klan, and in simply over a decade nearly all traces of the Black neighborhood had been erased.

In response to the civil rights motion, the Fifties witnessed the third iteration of the KKK, however not like the earlier two iterations, this model of the KKK was decentralized and hyperlocal. Racist white People wore KKK hoods and robes, and terrorized Black communities with out the necessity of a centralized group. Regardless of the collapse of the KKK within the Forties, it was reborn a decade later as a result of its racist philosophy of terror nonetheless burned vibrant inside segregationist People.

Story continues

Matthews’ household moved away from River Street in 1959 to flee the KKK.

“A number of the identical Montgomery County law enforcement officials, who have been supposed to guard you, have been the identical individuals you noticed while you obtained a peak on the Klansmen at evening. We had nobody to show to for assist,” mentioned Matthews to The Each day Beast. “It was pure hell. You simply needed to reside via it and pray that you wouldn’t lose your life.”

Within the Nineteen Sixties, after the intimidation from the KKK, numerous authorities insurance policies that priced out Black residents, and unscrupulous builders that tricked Black individuals into giving up their land, the Black neighborhood on River Street had disappeared. Quickly thereafter, white Marylanders moved in and constructed Westwood Towers residences upon Moses Macedonia African Cemetery.

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Throughout development, the entire gravestones have been bulldozed, after which as the muse for the residence advanced was being dug, physique components have been found.

Because the builders had at all times recognized that they have been constructing upon a cemetery, the invention of deceased Black our bodies was extra of an inevitable nuisance, quite than a deterrent or justification to cease development. As an alternative of relocating the our bodies, or partaking in numerous different humane actions, the builders determined to encapsulate the our bodies in asphalt and construct a car parking zone upon them.

For greater than 50 years, residents in an expensive residence advanced—the place hire can exceed $5,000 a month—have been parking their vehicles and residing on prime of a Black cemetery.

Combating for his or her ancestors

“Proper now, every single day. Automobiles are parking on prime of these our bodies,” Steven Lieberman, a companion on the legislation agency Rothwell, Figg, instructed The Each day Beast. “I feel most individuals would agree that that’s a desecration.”

Lieberman is representing the descendants of these buried within the Moses Macedonia African Cemetery and different neighborhood leaders (together with Matthews) in a lawsuit towards the Montgomery County Housing Alternatives Fee (HOC) over management of the land.

Moreover, his shoppers have additionally created a nonprofit referred to as the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) that has been elevating consciousness of this American atrocity and combating to protect the our bodies of their ancestors.

In August 2021, on behalf of his plaintiffs, Lieberman filed a criticism within the Maryland circuit courtroom to compel the HOC to adjust to Maryland legal guidelines and never promote Westwood Towers to builders. These Maryland legal guidelines require land homeowners—previous to promoting the land of a cemetery or burial floor—should get approval from the courtroom to take action. This approval course of usually constitutes listening to the views of the representatives of the deceased, after which the courtroom determines a good treatment—which might embrace blocking the sale.

On this case, the HOC tried to disregard the statute and promote the cemetery to the very best bidder. In the summertime of 2021, the HOC accepted a bid of $51 million from Charger Ventures LLC, and anticipated to finish the sale as early September 2021, previous to Lieberman and BACC’s intervention.

On October 25, 2021, Circuit Court docket Decide Karla N. Smith upheld the preliminary injunction to cease the sale, however the HOC appealed the choice and on October 6, 2022, the HOC offered its case earlier than a three-judge panel on the Maryland Court docket of Particular Appeals for overturning the decide’s choice and promoting the property. A call is anticipated to be introduced within the coming months.

“For us, justice is that the land is transferred again to the descendent neighborhood and that the land can be used to construct a museum and sacred area,” Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, the president of the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition, instructed The Each day Beast. “[The museum and sacred space] can be used for instructing future generations about each the genocide and erasure of the neighborhood and its tradition, and the theft of land on River Street; and likewise the tradition, historical past, accomplishments, and significance of the River Street neighborhood.”

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In her 2021 choice, Decide Smith acknowledged that “The Court docket can not ignore that the Plaintiffs, African People, are searching for to protect the reminiscence of their relations and people with whom they share a cultural affiliation. Nor can the Court docket ignore that as early because the Nineteen Thirties when development started within the River Street neighborhood, the deceased have been forgotten, forsaken, and their last resting locations destroyed or, at a minimal, desecrated.”

Following Decide Smith’s choice, Charger Ventures LLC canceled its plans to buy Westwood Towers as a result of the deal couldn’t be accomplished on the agreed upon time. Nonetheless, they instructed the Bethesda Beat in November 2021 that “Charger continues to specific its robust curiosity in resuming negotiations to buy the property.”

In keeping with Lieberman, the HOC is making an “extremely merciless” argument on this case as a result of they’re claiming that because of the lack of gravestones or different documentation, the descendants can not show that their ancestors are buried there.

But even when the descendants may show that their ancestors are within the cemetery, the HOC can be arguing that the descendants can not show that they’re buried on the parcel of land that turned the car parking zone for Westwood Towers and, as an alternative, their stays may reside on the adjoining properties that embrace a Starbucks, a Large Meals grocery retailer, a shopping center, and a Complete Meals.

In essence, the HOC is making an attempt to make use of the desecration of Black our bodies and graves from the previous, as a justification for desecrating them within the current.

Based mostly on this barbarous argument, it’s potential that this 12 months a Maryland courtroom might approve the sale of land housing the stays of lots of of Black People within the title of financial progress, gentrification, and revenue on the expense of Maryland’s Black residents and their ancestors.

However this courtroom case solely tells a fraction of the story of the Black residents of River Street, and the generational erasure of Black life within the title of white wealth.

Maryland nonetheless gained’t reckon with its slavery disgrace

Within the 1800s, River Street was largely plantations, and the land was labored by enslaved Africans. By 1860, almost 13 p.c of Maryland’s inhabitants was enslaved.

Regardless of being a slaveholding state, Maryland sided with the Union through the Civil Struggle, whereas persevering with to observe slavery. The truth is, for the reason that Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 particularly referred to the Accomplice states, the legislation didn’t take impact in Maryland. In 1864, Maryland held a constitutional conference, and abolished slavery of their new structure.

In the course of the 1800s, the plantation homeowners alongside River Street created a mass grave the place all of them would eliminate the our bodies of enslaved Africans. The placement of this mass grave is just not removed from Westwood Towers and, in 2020, it was offered to a developer to create a self-storage facility. At present, it’s a giant open pit subsequent to a McDonald’s, and each the federal government and builders declare to haven’t discovered any human stays. However BACC members insist they’ve proof that their ancestors are buried there, and that lots of the stays which have been discovered on this mass grave are these of kids.

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River Street continues to inform the story of the normalized displacement, terror, desecration, and erasure that always befalls America’s Black neighborhood within the title of white wealth.

From chattel slavery to Jim Crow and into the current, the wrestle to protect Black life and tradition when confronted by white wealth and enterprise growth continues to plague American society. River Street’s Black neighborhood tells the story of this wrestle and the fear inflicted upon Black People, but nonetheless at the moment some Marylanders would like to erase this historical past—and hold enterprise going as regular, whereas Black households are re-traumatized.

“My mother, my dad, my grandparents, and those who’ve gone on to glory earlier than me, they will’t rise up there. They fought their combat again then. I’m nonetheless right here. I’m nonetheless alive. I’ve my well being and power,” mentioned Matthews. “I’ll combat like hell, so long as I’ve breath in my physique, till this case is resolved.”

(The Each day Beast has reached out to each Constitution Ventures LLC and the Maryland HOC for remark. As of publication, neither get together has responded.)

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