Historically Black East Austin Cemetery Vandalized

AUSTIN, TX — More than a dozen headstones were defaced with graffitti at a historic cemetery in East Austin dedicated to Black residents over the weekend, a city spokesperson told Patch.

In a telephone interview, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson said 15 gravestones at the Evergreen Cemetery, 33oo E. 12th St., were defaced with blue and green spray paint sometime over the weekend before the vandalism was discovered Monday morning. The 30-acre African American cemetery has been the site of some 12,000 burials since it was established in 1926, acccording to a municipal website.

The spokesperson said the marks made on the gravestones were not immediately recognizable as hate symbols or slurs, but police are investigating. "At first glance, we are unable to attribute to a commonly known slur, but we're investigating," the spokesperson said.

The famlies of those buried at the vandalized grave sites have been contacted, she added, and repairs will be made to their loved ones' resting places at no cost to them.

According to the spokesperson, the graffiti remained on the gravestones as of Wednesday given intermittent rainy weather. "Right now, we're in a holding pattern because of the weather," she said. "As soon as we have a stretch of better weather, crews will be out there to start the cleaning process."

The spokesperson was unaware if similar past incidents have occurred at the historically African American cemetery.

Austin Mayor Steve Adler condemned the vandalism, describing the incident on Twitter as "...incredibly sad, leaving many with overarching anger and fear. Most acutely felt by the Black community, this violates us all."

In an email following questions from Patch, the Austin Police Department said it was first notified of the incident at 10:06 a.m. on Monday. "The grave markers were tagged with various kinds of religious language. This is an active investigation and we ask anyone who might have information to contact Capital Area Crime Stoppers at (512) 472-TIPS (8477). For reference, the case number is 20-2650506."

According to a city website, Evergreen is one of five municipal cemeteries that also include Austin Memorial Park Cemetery; Oakwood Cemetery; Oakwood Annex Cemetery; and Plummers Cemetery. The family cemeteries include the cemetery at Longview Park and the Stanley-Nolen Cemetery at Garrison Park, according to the City of Austin. The city spokesperson said the city oversees some 80,000 gravesites at municipal cemeteries across the city, and additional parcels are available at Evergreen.

While Cemetery Operations arranges interments at every cemetery, city officials wrote on the website, burials spaces are only available for purchase in Austin Memorial Park and Evergreen cemeteries. Maintenance opens the gates of each municipal cemetery from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 365 days per year.