Cemetery hit again by vandals, city working to stop it

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - It is becoming an all-too-familiar sight at a cemetery in the City of South Fulton: smashed tombstones and trampled grave sites. The final resting place for some of the area’s most notable individuals has been vandalized over and over again. Police are determined to catch whoever is doing this.

"I don't know why the cemetery is being vandalized but I will tell you it's disrespectful," said Councilwoman Helen Willis.

City of South Fulton Councilwoman Helen Willis said the vandalism started at the Red Oak Cemetery on Roosevelt Highway about a year ago and was hit again just recently. She said many notables have been buried in the historic cemetery which is located in the oldest district in the city.

"Every time I come here I see a new headstone chopped in half, tumbled over," said Willis. 

The cemetery has graves that date back to the 1800s, when times were different.

"Some have inscriptions of KKK on some of the tombstones. But the graves go back to the 1800s, the demographics that were around in the 1800s is not what exists now," said Willis.

As the search continues for those who have vandalized the cemetery, the city is working on ways to make it more secure. Willis said a private donor has offered to pay for a fence around the cemetery and many have offered to help restore the grave sites.

Willis is thankful the community is coming together and just wants the vandalism to stop.

"Let people who are buried here rest in peace," said Willis.