A pack forms to tussle on a central patch that's become dry and dusty with traffic. Dog owners say they care for the grounds by soliciting donations through their group, Friends of Western Cemetery, and admonishing those who don't pick up after their dogs. What's more, though they might not speak to strangers anywhere else, they chat openly here about the spiritual bonds they've made in this place. He strolled the grounds with a friend he'd met there, Jessica Matzkin. She has moved to Connecticut in the meantime but returned for a reunion with dogs and their owners.
Graveyards are a place where people are buried so people can come and gather.
It's a fun place to come, almost. Because you don't want to offend somebody who thinks graveyards aren't supposed to be fun. At the crux of the controversy is not whether the grounds are sacred but how the sacred is properly honored. But for others, such as Ireland-born Patrick Murphy, it's by setting the sacred space apart from routine life, even if that means a bit of inconvenience. He expects the council to adopt a plan soon thereafter.