Protesters Charged With Disorderly Conduct At HOC Meeting

KENSINGTON, MD — Three people were charged with disorderly conduct at a public forum in Kensington on Wednesday after they refused to stop protesting future development at a historically black cemetery. The incident comes a month after four protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct at the same meeting.

Protesters gathered at 4 p.m. for the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission's monthly meeting and urged the seven-member board to memorialize River Road Moses Cemetery in Bethesda's Westbard neighborhood.

"During the community forum, 11 individuals spoke in support of the Macedonia Baptist Church extending the community forum to nearly one hour of the two hours allotted for the Commission's affordable housing agenda," the HOC said in a statement Wednesday. "The Commission asserted that it is not and has never been HOC's objective to have people removed from Commission meetings in response to protests. However, as protesters continued to disrupt the meeting, HOC requested they be removed from the room by County Police after completion of the community forum and in order to conduct agency business."

A Montgomery County Police Department spokesman told Patch that two males and one female were issued a criminal citation for disorderly conduct and escorted off the property. They were not taken into custody.

Since 2017, Macedonia Baptist Church members and activists have testified at HOC meetings, urging officials to make the burial ground a historical site. Making River Road Moses Cemetery a historical site would mean Montgomery County couldn't legally plan for more development there, according to Bethesda Beat.

In the late 19th century, Bethesda's Westbard neighborhood was home to African Americans who had worked on farms and plantations since before the Civil War, The Washington Post reported.

The burial ground protesters are trying to protect was originally bought in 1911 by a black fraternal society called the Ancient Order of the Sons and Daughters, Brothers and Sisters of Moses, the outlet said. The site reportedly served as a graveyard.

According to The Post, the land was sold again in 1959. Much of the site was turned into a parking lot for the Westbard Tower apartments. In 2017, the HOC purchased the property for $20 million, Bethesda Beat reported.

In January, the HOC issued a report on its support for the site, saying it's "committed to making responsible decisions" to best serve residents and honor the history of the Westbard neighborhood.

"As the owners of the Westwood Tower property and as a member of the Westbard community, HOC is committed to making responsible decisions about how to serve the people of Montgomery County as well as honoring the history of the neighborhood. The Commission understands the sensitivity surrounding the history of this area and has studied David Rotenstein's 'The River Road Moses Cemetery: A Historic Preservation Evaluation,' who shared highlights of his research at HOC's October, 2018 public meeting. Moving forward, HOC will continue to listen to the concerns of the Westbard community and work with all stakeholders to reach resolution for memorialization," the report read.