SHREVEPORT, La. - For many families, a cemetery is more than a patch of land — it is sacred ground, a place to honor loved ones, reflect, and grieve. It should be a place of peace, dignity, and respect.

For years, however, families with loved ones buried at Forest Park East and Forest Park West in Shreveport have voiced deep frustration over what they describe as unacceptable neglect.

During a visit in July, broken and toppled upright gravestones stood among weeds as tall as a person’s knees. Footstones were hidden beneath thick carpets of grass. Roads through the grounds were cracked and crumbling, riddled with potholes large enough to damage a car.

“It’s just unacceptable,” said Pam Mackey, who has family buried at Forest Park West. “The cemetery was entrusted with those precious

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