Clearing of memorial in Dehesa angers some mourners
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 By Kristen Green UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER March 5, 2002 DEHESA – Hundreds of people from east San Diego County have visited the Dehesa Road site where Danielle van Dam's body was found a week ago to grieve for the little girl. But Tuesday, instead of mourning, they vented. A carload of flower bouquets, stuffed animals, balloons, wreaths and pictures placed there in Danielle's memory were removed Monday by volunteers. "How dare they?" demanded Cindy Moore, a Spring Valley resident visiting the site Tuesday.
"They had no right to do this," echoed her mother, Rose Cady. Danielle's parents have said they prefer that people memorialize her at a San Diego neighborhood park near the Sabre Springs suburb where the 7-year-old girl lived, rather than the place where her body was found. But they didn't request the Dehesa memorial be cleared, a family spokeswoman said. A sign at the Dehesa site gave directions to the Sabre Springs park but said any memorials were appreciated. The family requested Tuesday in a written statement that flowers and stuffed animals be left where mourners drop them off. People who described themselves as volunteers said Monday they took it upon themselves to move the mementos to the minipark in the van Dams' neighborhood. "They didn't leave anything," said Connie Munzer, Moore's sister. "It's upsetting. It's not right." People have the right to grieve for Danielle where they want, Moore said. Sabre Springs is a long drive from east San Diego County, she said, and people want to memorialize the location in their community where Danielle was found. "Nothing will ever change that her body was dumped in this spot," Moore said. "There will never be a time that I come up here that I won't think of her." Paula Griswold of El Cajon said people constructed their own memorials at the site of the Oklahoma City bombing and the McDonald's massacre in San Ysidro. "This is our Danielle van Dam memorial park," Griswold said. "As an East County resident, it's our way to grieve for her. Let us grieve." One woman, Linda Morgan, said she drove to the Dehesa site Monday from her job in El Cajon and saw volunteers loading stuffed animals and flowers into plastic bags. She decided to take home the bouquet she'd brought, stick it in the refrigerator overnight and come back a day later. "I know the parents don't want it left here but this is also part of her life," Morgan said. "This is where I want my stuff to be. To my heart, it just feels good here." As soon as the mementos were hauled away Monday, visitors began building a new memorial. On Tuesday, a dozen stuffed animals had been placed beneath the Dehesa oak where Danielle was found, along with bouquets of roses and a sunshine balloon. "As often as they come take things away," Moore said, "we will still come back and put more out." |
