Founder's Memorial Park was once two cemeteries.  Mt. Olive and Broadway Cemeteries operated from 1881 to 1958.  Plagued by vandals, the City of Whittier declared the cemeteries a public nuisance in 1958.  In 1968 the City cleared all the grave stones and turned the cemeteries into Founders Memorial Park.  Many bodies remain buried there.  The memorials initially built by the City have been vandalized and desecrated.  

The souls of those buried at the park are not at rest.  Lost and forgotten, they cry out to be remembered.  To honor our founders and to honor the dead, the city should build a memorial.  This will honor our ancestors and allow the deceased to finally rest.

Many of those whose remains lie buried in the park were founders of Whittier. Many were veterans.  They deserve to be remembered.

We call upon the City of Whittier to go ahead with plans to build a new memorial at Founder's Memorial Park. This would honor our history in a powerful way.  It will also allow the spirits there to rest.

The neglected memorials are a desecration. Building a new memorial would allow the spirits to find peace.  It will release any residual negative energy that resides there, and it will reconnect us with our history in a deep and meaningful way. 

 We owe it to our founders, to the City, and to ourselves to remember and honor our dead.  Deep inside we understand the need to be remembered, and to remember.  Memorials help us to appreciate our ancestors and to be grateful for all they did. They also help us to understand our place in history.