KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — "It's my way of still being able to do something for him," said Amy Rodriguez, a Temple resident who visits her son's grave every month.
Every wipe of the tombstone is a gentle reminder for Rodriguez of what she lost nine years ago, a duty she takes on with honor.
"I always make sure that it's clean and picked up. I'm the one that cuts the grass because sometimes I'll come out here, and the grass is all long, and it's never watered,"
Amy's son died in 2015 from gun violence, and she has been coming to Killeen Cemetery Park ever since to tidy up his headstone and leave mementos in his honor.
But something bothers her about the cleanliness of the park, along with many other neighbors.
"I'm the one that does all that you know, me or his family, and his aunts come out to clean," said Rodriguez.
In response to a community outcry — the city deployed a massive cleaning operation on October 21, aiming to remove some of the mementos she left behind at his headstone.
This comes after a new plan to clean the cemetery four times a year.
While the city sees this as a way to keep the cemetery clean and tidy - Rodriguez sees it differently.
"They don't want anything out here, no flowers, lights, I guess they don't want anything meaningful," Rodriguez said.
"They just want a tombstone."
"We understand why people are mad, but it's something we have to do, said The Killeen parks manager Keilah Reyes
Either way, Amy will be out here at least once a month with her son in mind.
"I understand why they're doing it, but I've been doing it since he passed away," Rodriguez said. "It's all I have left to do for him, and I don't want to be able not to do that anymore.".
The next clean-ups are scheduled for the third week of January, April, and July.
