Illegal tire dumping damages historic graves at South Fulton church

Tires dumped at Georgia church damage graves

Members of a South Fulton church say over 100 tires were illegally dumped on church grounds, damaging historic graves on the property. 

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. - Members of Pleasant Hill Victory AME Church say someone illegally dumped more than a hundred tires on their property earlier this month, with some of the tires damaging graves in the church's historic cemetery.

What we know:

The discovery was made on March 4 at the church along Stonewall Tell Road.

Church leaders say the cemetery, which dates back about a century, is meant to be a place of peace and remembrance for generations of families buried there.

Pastor Lola Russell said more than 100 tires had been dumped across the cemetery grounds.

What they're saying:

"It's disturbing that in the times we live, people do not care or a person does not care about the sacredness, the sanctity of life and the transition to death, which we all will face one day," said Russell.

She had a message for whoever was responsible.

"You did something very wrong, and it felt even evil to us. It felt very sad. But I don't know what kind of challenges you're going through," Russell said.

The illegal dumping struck a painful chord for the congregation, Russell said, because of the long history of the church and the families buried there.

After the incident was shared on social media, someone in the community stepped forward and removed the tires at no cost.

"One, sad, bad, criminal deed has turned into a tremendous blessing to remind us that there are still some people in the world who are more than good," Russell said.

While the tires have now been removed, Russell said some graves were damaged when the tires were dumped.

The church has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help repair the damaged graves and install additional security measures, including cameras.

"We want to make sure we know, to the best of our ability, to take some preventive measures to make sure that it doesn't happen again," Russell said.

The fundraiser has raised more than $4,500 so far, and Russell said the community response has helped lift the congregation's spirits.

What you can do:

To see the fundraiser and donate, click here. 

What we don't know:

The individual who dumped the tires has not been identified.