Community Chat

[sunala]

Today we had to attend a funeral and drove quite a distance. I must have passed at least a half dozen roadside memorials, decorated with teddy bears, balloons, religious icons, messages, etc. One even had a huge blown up photo of the young lady that lost her life. Some of them were so old; everything was faded and honestly, it looked like a pile of garbage.

What do you think about these memorials? Should they be allowed to be on highways, parkways and expressways? Should there be a time limit for them before they are removed?

They make me feel so sad. I guess that they make the family feel better, but what about the rest of us?

What are your thoughts?

[jaxs mom]

It's a tradition in some cultures, I don't have a problem with it continuing. 

[cherry]

I don't like them. The stuff gets dirty and bedraggled looking. I don't see the purpose to begin with. Do something in the persons memory, that will help someone else

It doesn't bring anyone back. The cemetary is the place for this. It seems once this stuff starts a lot of people think it's the thing to do. Even the cemetary won't allow this stuff. If everyone did it  , it would look like a junkyard

[spix]

I have also seen many of these, & to be honest not  sure how I feel, I understand that those that put memento's get solace from doing so & I sympathize (sp?) but do think that after a certain time when they become threadbare, it's time to remove & keep the memories in your heart.

[deepwaterdotter]

After a normal Wisconsin winter, all the "memorials" in my area are just a sad pile of messiness in the spring.

[glb613]

I'm not a fan of public display of anything including grief and where someone died.  I used to drive with my job and they are distracting.  And as others have pointed out, they turn into a mess with time. 

[151949]

OMG don't even get me started!!!My parents died in a car crash. Someone put one of these stupid memorials by the side of the road - it was actually obstrcting a spot in a business parking lot. After a short while it got all moldy - naturally - and smelled. The business owner called the township to have it removed and the police called me saying I had to remove it. DH & I had to go clean up the disgusting stinky and full of critters mess. Wouldn't you know - within a few days it was back. The police called us again and I refused. I told them I didn't put either memorial there and they could find who did and have them remove it.I was done with it and didn't want to hear about it again. Well, the police persisted and my DH- the softie- went and cleaned it up again.And once again it came back. The police started to watch for who it was and they caught her - a mentally challenged lady my Mom had worked with and her Mom were doing it. This part really cracks me up - the Township fined them several hundred dollars for the cost of the removal of the memorials !! WTH - it didn't cost the township squat!

Needless to say - people need to consider the consequences of their actions. What idiot would not know a bunch of teddy bears would get moldy?Or that mice & other critters would get in them.

[K9buddy]

I see them as memorializing the tragedy, not the victim. 

[Marp]

I have many feelings about roadside memorials but one that always sticks with me for a long time after I've passed one is to pay attention not only to my driving but also to what drivers around me are doing. 

I, like most people, sometimes fail to realize that there are many sources of distraction, including things that are part and parcel of driving like looking for an address or driveway/shopping center entrance, a particular store and even a parking space.

[cherry]

A friend of a friend , had a bad situation that happened over  someones death. The car landed in her front yard, and someone died. The mother of the dead person put flowers in her yard

It upset her terribly. They did it more than once. My friend told her to pitch them out if they upset her, so she did