Vandals have pushed over more than 200 headstones at a historic African American cemetery in Colling

Vandals have pushed over more than 200 headstones at a historic African American cemetery in Colling

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Vandals have pushed over more than 200 headstones at a historic African American cemetery in Collingdale, including the stone of famed Philadelphia civil-rights activist Octavius V. Catto.

While there have been incidents of racial vandalism in eastern Delaware County in recent months, police do not believe these acts were racially motivated.

Delaware County NAACP officials are troubled by the rash of incidents.

"The NAACP and its representative members in Delaware County are deeply grieved that human relations in this area have taken on this personality.

Collingdale police are still seeking suspects in an incident that occurred  when vandals carved racial epithets into two cars owned by a black family.

In May, a black couple found a swastika painted on the door of their newly purchased Lansdowne home. That month, a Harrisburg-based white-supremacist group littered an Upper Darby neighborhood with more than 250 racist posters.

Racist graffiti were also discovered behind the bleachers at Lansdowne's Penn Wood High School, where minorities make up 95 percent of the student population, and on the sidewalk in front of a black-owned business on Baltimore Avenue in Clifton Heights.

Delaware County chapters of the NAACP have discussed the racist graffiti in recent meetings and aim to form a plan for bringing greater awareness and education to the community.

Eden Cemetery was established in 1902. The first interment was delayed until nightfall to avoid local white protesters who blocked the cemetery's entrance that day, according to information from the cemetery.

A number of notable African Americans are buried in Eden Cemetery: Marian Anderson, the first African American singer to perform at the New York Metropolitan Opera; Chris J. Perry, founder of the Philadelphia Tribune; and Catto, who was shot and killed on election day in 1871. Catto, a political and civil-rights activist, had been helping black voters get to the polls and was killed while walking home.

Vandals have pushed over more than 200 headstones at a historic African American cemetery in Collingdale, including the stone of famed Philadelphia civil-rights activist Octavius V. Catto.

While there have been incidents of racial vandalism in eastern Delaware County in recent months, police do not believe these acts were racially motivated.

Delaware County NAACP officials are troubled by the rash of incidents.

"The NAACP and its representative members in Delaware County are deeply grieved that human relations in this area have taken on this personality.

Collingdale police are still seeking suspects in an incident that occurred  when vandals carved racial epithets into two cars owned by a black family.

In May, a black couple found a swastika painted on the door of their newly purchased Lansdowne home. That month, a Harrisburg-based white-supremacist group littered an Upper Darby neighborhood with more than 250 racist posters.

Racist graffiti were also discovered behind the bleachers at Lansdowne's Penn Wood High School, where minorities make up 95 percent of the student population, and on the sidewalk in front of a black-owned business on Baltimore Avenue in Clifton Heights.

Delaware County chapters of the NAACP have discussed the racist graffiti in recent meetings and aim to form a plan for bringing greater awareness and education to the community.

Eden Cemetery was established in 1902. The first interment was delayed until nightfall to avoid local white protesters who blocked the cemetery's entrance that day, according to information from the cemetery.

A number of notable African Americans are buried in Eden Cemetery: Marian Anderson, the first African American singer to perform at the New York Metropolitan Opera; Chris J. Perry, founder of the Philadelphia Tribune; and Catto, who was shot and killed on election day in 1871. Catto, a political and civil-rights activist, had been helping black voters get to the polls and was killed while walking home.

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We signed the "Vandals have pushed over more than 200 headstones at a historic African American cemetery in Colling" petition!
# 58:
7:04 pm PST, Jan 1, Jennifer Gardner, Florida
# 57:
2:27 am PDT, Sep 26, Simos Tarabatzis, Greece
# 56:
11:45 am PDT, Aug 21, Jan Vetulani, Poland
# 55:
3:32 am PDT, Aug 14, Angel Halloran, Virginia
# 54:
9:53 am PDT, Aug 12, Name not displayed, New Jersey
This is so stupid, how can people still be racist after all this time?
# 53:
8:48 am PDT, Aug 11, Andi Alnwick, New York
# 52:
2:13 pm PDT, Aug 9, Carla Cogswell, California
# 51:
8:22 pm PDT, Aug 7, Name not displayed, Maine
# 50:
4:24 am PDT, Aug 6, Steve Klein, Canada
# 49:
9:08 pm PDT, Aug 4, Chris Osinupebi, Pennsylvania
There should be more of a response to these acts of hatred by individuals how are screaming for attention, because if this doesn't get our attention what will they do next?
# 48:
9:00 pm PDT, Aug 4, Jimi Davis, Pennsylvania
I thought that the people in this great country have come a long way, but this is just a fifty year set-back in time.
# 47:
8:49 pm PDT, Aug 4, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
Its very sad to see this form of hatred still practiced. The destruction of these headstones from any kind of person is deeply disturbing.
# 46:
9:11 am PDT, Aug 4, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
# 45:
8:05 am PDT, Aug 4, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
# 44:
6:07 am PDT, Aug 4, Faye Carter, Pennsylvania
# 43:
9:58 pm PDT, Aug 3, Sean Noyes, Finland
# 42:
9:10 pm PDT, Aug 3, Name not displayed, United Kingdom
# 41:
7:15 pm PDT, Aug 3, Roseann Cherasaro, Pennsylvania
this is a disgrace!!please find out what the heck is going on...
# 40:
4:41 pm PDT, Aug 2, Name not displayed, Virginia
# 39:
10:48 am PDT, Aug 2, Gennaro Volpe, Italy
# 38:
10:20 am PDT, Aug 2, Christine Long, Pennsylvania
# 37:
12:55 am PDT, Aug 2, Pam Boland, Georgia
# 36:
10:12 pm PDT, Aug 1, David Dunkleberger, Pennsylvania
# 35:
9:48 pm PDT, Aug 1, Name not displayed, United States Minor Outlying Islands
# 34:
2:45 pm PDT, Aug 1, Bonita S, Illinois
# 33:
1:42 pm PDT, Aug 1, Thomas Kristan, Canada
# 32:
8:40 am PDT, Aug 1, Chuck Pascal, Pennsylvania
Mayor of Leechburg, PA
# 31:
8:40 am PDT, Aug 1, Chuck Pascal, Pennsylvania
Mayor of Leechburg, PA
# 30:
8:23 am PDT, Aug 1, Ange Barrett, United Kingdom
# 29:
7:30 am PDT, Aug 1, Jaylena OGreenfield, Ohio
# 28:
6:37 am PDT, Aug 1, Clifford Wilson, Pennsylvania
As Chairman of the Delaware County Democratic Party and the SouthEast Delco Democratic Committee I know I represent all our officers and committee persons and volunteers when I sign this petition.
# 27:
6:32 am PDT, Aug 1, Richard Chasen, Florida
YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT DUECEMOM2004@YAHOO.COM I Richard Chasen do not like hatred based on race or religion. Hatred based on race or religion should be treated as a mental illness. I have been a victim of Black on White racial hatred and I'm signing this petition.
# 26:
6:27 am PDT, Aug 1, Franziska Eber, Germany
# 25:
5:44 am PDT, Aug 1, Joycey Berry, North Carolina
# 24:
4:40 am PDT, Aug 1, Eliska Kovacova, Slovakia
# 23:
2:34 am PDT, Aug 1, Can Atik, Turkey
# 22:
1:37 am PDT, Aug 1, Octavian Paul Draja, Romania
# 21:
11:45 pm PDT, Jul 31, Pink Dream, Australia
Racism stinks no matter where, when or how it be expressed.
# 20:
10:53 pm PDT, Jul 31, Tonya Cunningham, Missouri
# 19:
10:51 pm PDT, Jul 31, JOSSIE A ROSS, Canada
# 18:
10:44 pm PDT, Jul 31, Animal Abuse Greece, Greece
# 17:
8:15 pm PDT, Jul 31, Samantha Brown, Pennsylvania
This is Outrageous! I am outraged and disheartened by the vandalization of an important American monument of brave men and women. This should not be tolerated.
# 16:
5:51 pm PDT, Jul 31, Brenda Gouck, Pennsylvania
Unacceptable for this to happen anywhere in the United States!!!!
# 15:
5:49 pm PDT, Jul 31, Steve Dale, Australia
# 14:
5:35 pm PDT, Jul 31, Jesse Jackson, New York
Dem whyt racit poleet bet be solvin dit heauh crime o ahm goan cut all dey mudda fukkin nuts off!!!!!
# 13:
2:45 pm PDT, Jul 31, Name not displayed, New York
# 12:
1:28 pm PDT, Jul 31, William Thomas, Pennsylvania
It's appauling that in this day and place this level of open racism is scene.There is obviously no excuse for this. it is apparent that the local communities, police and county leaders and officials are complacent to this making them complicit at the same time.
# 11:
1:03 pm PDT, Jul 31, Crystal Swing, Delaware
# 10:
12:54 pm PDT, Jul 31, Cathy Wilson, Pennsylvania
# 9:
12:49 pm PDT, Jul 31, Greta Malkotzoglou, Greece
# 8:
12:04 pm PDT, Jul 31, William Digiglio, Pennsylvania
# 7:
9:45 am PDT, Jul 31, Name not displayed, Minnesota
# 6:
9:30 am PDT, Jul 31, Nick McGuire, Ohio
# 5:
9:23 am PDT, Jul 31, Name not displayed, Germany
# 4:
8:16 am PDT, Jul 31, Paul Bruce-joy, United Kingdom
# 2:
7:01 am PDT, Jul 31, Seth Stern, New Jersey
# 1:
6:57 am PDT, Jul 31, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
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