Remains deserve respect despite race
Re “The burial they deserved,” editorial, April 9
The MTA’s discovery of the Chinese cemetery recalls the unearthing of 400 Gabrieleno-Tongva graves at Playa Vista in 2004. Although some descendants had signed on to a protocol for possible remains, no one anticipated so many. Citing that tenuous and disputed agreement, Playa Vista was allowed to forge ahead.
Drive by today and you’ll see a drainage ditch. We are all the poorer for this desecration, including the residents of Playa Vista. This is not a fitting memorial for the original Californians.
Would it be that hard to work around cemeteries when stumbled upon during construction? If the MTA or Playa Vista unearthed some long-lost corner of Forest Lawn, there would be no question of altering plans. Why are Native American or Chinese burial sites any different?
BRIAN WESCOTT
Marina del Rey
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