At Least 18 Headstones Stolen from Historic Compton Cemetery

Thieves have targeted Woodlawn Celestial Gardens in Compton, one of Los Angeles County's oldest cemeteries, stealing at least 18 headstones and damaging dozens more. The thefts, discovered on Thursday, are believed to have occurred the previous night, primarily targeting bronze and copper plaques for their scrap metal value. Dr. Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD, expressed outrage on social media, stating, > "As if it couldn’t possibly get any worse in the lawless @GavinNewsom state of California, it does. One of LA’s oldest cemeteries just had over a DOZEN HEADSTONES 🪦 stolen! What on earth is happening here? Of all the crimes to commit?!"

Woodlawn Celestial Gardens is the final resting place for over 26,000 individuals, including hundreds of veterans and notable figures like city founder Griffith Dickenson Compton. This incident is not isolated; owner Celestinia Bishop revealed that more than 700 bronze plaques were stolen from memorial walls and headstones just over a year ago. The cemetery has a long history of neglect and mismanagement, with Bishop, through her non-profit One Section at a Time, investing significant personal funds to preserve the site.

Celestinia Bishop, whose mother and sister are buried at the cemetery, described her emotional state as "mentally exhausted" by the repeated desecration. Replacement costs for each headstone can reach nearly $4,000, a financial burden the privately owned cemetery cannot bear. Family members of those interred, like Gina Gianatti whose mother's 50-year-old headstone was among those taken, expressed profound distress over the disturbance of their loved ones' resting places.

Volunteers and local residents have voiced their disgust, noting the lack of response from city officials despite repeated pleas for assistance. Marvis Jackson, a volunteer maintenance worker, called the acts "sickening." The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is investigating the thefts, and authorities recovered a tool believed to have been used in the crime.

The targeting of cemeteries for valuable metals like bronze and copper is a recurring issue in the region, with similar incidents reported at other South Los Angeles cemeteries, including Lincoln Memorial Park. These thefts highlight a broader problem of metal scavenging, leaving communities and cemetery owners struggling to protect these sacred sites. The ongoing challenges underscore the urgent need for increased security measures and community support.