Moses Cemetery on River Road in Bethesda “likely” still holds the remains of those once buried on what is now the Westwood Tower Apartments, according to a ruling by the Supreme Court of Maryland.
According to that ruling, anyone seeking to sell a burial ground and then use it for another purpose does not need a court order to do so. That is not the ruling the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition had hoped for. However, the court noted in its Aug. 30 ruling that the descendants of those buried do have the right to seek a remedy for any violation of Maryland law regarding burial places.
The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition took the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC) to court and have been fighting for years to have the remains of their ancestors returned to them or at least have a memorial established at the site.
According to the court ruling, if Westwood Tower Apartments is sold, the coalition can bring legal and equitable claims to the circuit court.
“In light of the Maryland Supreme Court decision, we call on all elected officials to demand an immediate cessation of all desecration and erasure of Black History at the Westwood Towers site,” the coalition members wrote in a news release.
While the court didn’t prohibit sale of the property, “they did warn developers that going forward equitable relief is available to descendants,” according to the news release, which called that “a historically important ruling.”
The coalition does plan to seek relief “against continuing desecration of the Moses African Cemetery,” and will keep doing so “until the desecration of Moses African Cemetery comes to an end.”
Coalition members are considering demanding that cars no longer park over the graves, which are beneath the paved parking lot of the apartment complex. They also have expressed a strong desire to set up a memorial on that site.
The HOC did not respond to a request for comment.
Related Post
Developer Will Not Purchase Land in Bethesda Containing Former Cemetery
