Gentrifers watching a movie on the grounds of Congressional Cemetery. Disrespectful or Hip & Urban?

[Anonymous]

I think it is very disrespectful.
I am not a DC native.
I do not have family members buried there.

Whats next?
Sex and the City movie night over on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery?

[Anonymous]

Ugh. I DO have family members buried there. How disrespectful. It makes me ill.

[Anonymous]

Gross. Not a native.

[Anonymous]

That is really strange. Who would want to sit in a cemetery and watch a movie? I agree that it's disrespectful.

[Anonymous]

Oh, and they should be forced to watch last week's episode of South Park.

[Anonymous]

Extremely disrespectful

[Anonymous]

They were watching Psycho.
How urban of them.
Since all they really care about is being hip & urban.

[Anonymous]

I've lived on Capitol Hill for 30 years and have taken a weekend tour of the cemetery grounds, which I recommend. I find showing movies on the grounds disrespectful.

I also find disrespectful cemetery membership that are sold to dog owners so they can use the grounds as a dog park, letting their dogs pee and poop on the markers. (They clean up.) The group running the cemetery says it needs the money for upkeep, and I do know they need money for upkeep and it isn't coming from elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Looks like the Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery organized the event themselves. I guess they'll hear from family members of the deceased if they are not happy with it..? I wonder how much revenue the movie night generated.

http://www.congressionalcemetery.org/default.asp

[Anonymous]

I bet the dead are glad of the company.

[Anonymous]

They were watching Psycho.
How urban of them.
Since all they really care about is being hip & urban.

And bike lanes, craft beer, and curated beards. And SUPping and charcuterie. And their rescue pets.

[Anonymous]

People, it was the dog walkers who cleaned the cemetery up long before this neighborhood was gentrified. They're an integral part of the community there.

And if the cemetery association wants to show movies, well, that's their business. Cemeteries should be used for multiple purposes. I don't have relatives buried there but if I did I'd be glad that there are other people enjoying this lovely cemetery while they're alive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People, it was the dog walkers who cleaned the cemetery up long before this neighborhood was gentrified. They're an integral part of the community there.

And if the cemetery association wants to show movies, well, that's their business. Cemeteries should be used for multiple purposes. I don't have relatives buried there but if I did I'd be glad that there are other people enjoying this lovely cemetery while they're alive.

I should add that this was long before the hipsters arrived. I'm not a big fan of hipsters but blaming them for what's happening at the cemetery is completely unfair and inaccurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People, it was the dog walkers who cleaned the cemetery up long before this neighborhood was gentrified. They're an integral part of the community there.

And if the cemetery association wants to show movies, well, that's their business. Cemeteries should be used for multiple purposes. I don't have relatives buried there but if I did I'd be glad that there are other people enjoying this lovely cemetery while they're alive.

This. Prior to the dog walking program, the cemetery was used for drug dealing and prostitution. It was a mess. Grave markers were badly damaged, the grass was never mowed, etc. Because of the dog walking program and programs like the movie nights, they have been able to restore the cemetery and make it a really nice place again.

[Anonymous]

I'm a DC native and l'm old enough to remember when drug dealers used to camp out in front of AND IN Congressional Cemetery, dealing and using.

Prostitutes roamed it openly.

Comparatively, watching movies is a vast improvement.

Grow up!