What are the Problems?
Exploitation and Degradation of Cemetery's Purpose
Unregulated and Aggressive Tour Guides and Vendors
Overcrowding and Overtourism
Damage to Historic and Fragile Infrastructure
Vandalism and Desecration of Tombs
Repair and Maintenance Needs
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​Filming exploits and degrades the cemetery's purpose,
drawing large, non-historical tours to its locations long after the film or TV show has come and gone.
Both the actual filming and the decades of ghoulish tours and tourist abuse it feeds
​​​severely harm the cemetery's purpose and damage its fragile infrastructure.
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Filming and non-historical tours feed copy-cat behavior, mocking the deceased and further damaging fragile tombs and copings.
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Tour Guides in costume frequently stand on copings shouting spiels about ghosts, vampires, voodoo and horror movie scenes.
They surround families trying to visit loved ones' graves and often include the bereaved as props in their narratives.
​Entertainment and profit motives threaten the cemetery's sacred purpose as a resting place for the deceased.
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Vandalism and desecration of tombs plague Lafayette No. 1.
Films, haunted tours, non-historical narratives and a lack of any oversight or enforcement embolden disrespect.
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Visitors exponentially increased in recent years from about 200 to almost 3,000 per day.
Overcrowding and no security or supervision of visitors lead to more damage of fragile infrastructure.
The couple in the photo above continued to nonchalantly tour Lafayette No. 1 after shattering the tablet shown in the section above. Only the quick thinking of a nearby witness documented this particular incident. More often than not, the damage is unreported.
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​Serious repair and maintenance needs are evident throughout the cemetery.
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What are the Solutions?
Meeting with City Department Directors
Meeting with City Council Members
​Presenting before Community Development Committee
Participating in City Hall Initiative to Fix Systemic Problems
Adequate Regulations, Enforcement, Maintenance and Security
What are the Goals?​
A place for our loved ones to rest in peace
A place for families and visitors to visit in peace
Protection and dignity for those buried here
Accurate portrayal of history
​Proper protection and maintenance of historic landmark
Restoring Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 to its sole purpose as a cemetery,
​a sacred place for the deceased to rest in peace.
Photos property of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 Tomb and Coping Owners Association unless otherwise noted.
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lafayette cemetery no. 1 tomb and coping owners association