City of Hamilton orders Mackenzie Mann memorial removed, family wants it back

It stood for 18 months as a memorial to a dynamic young woman's life taken too soon, and stark cautionary symbol of the deadly effects of bad driving.

And now the tribute in Glanbrook to Mackenzie Mann is also a point of contention between the city and Mann's loved ones.

Last week, city workers trucked away homemade crosses, plaques, and Christmas decorations from the roadside memorial at Airport Road and Nebo Road, six kilometres east of the airport.

The four-way stop at the intersection is where Mann, a 20-year-old McMaster University student, was killed on June 3, 2020.

The driver of the car she was in, Bulend (Typhoon) Dikici, blew through the intersection and T-boned another vehicle. Dikici pleaded guilty to criminal negligence causing death, and his sentencing is Dec. 13.

Craig Murdoch, the acting general manager for city public works, said roadside memorials can be a hazardous visual distraction to those driving past, or dangerous for those who pause at the site.

In a statement to The Spectator, he added that the (Mann) memorial is not on private property, it is in the city's road allowance. Staff are working with the family to find a way in which to honour the individual without compromising safety on the roadway."

Mann's parents, boyfriend Luke Moore, and best friend Cassandra Kozun retrieved the memorial items from a City of Hamilton facility on Airport Road Saturday, after an official there called in workers to help them.

Kozun said they appreciated that gesture, but are still upset it was dismantled. She vowed that it will be restored, and supporters have already started to place items back at the same location.

To us this is her resting spot, and grieving grounds, where we feel connected to her," said Kozun.

Julie Gordon, a family friend who lives in the Glanbrook area, said roadside memorials if anything influence motorists to drive safely, offering perspective on what is at stake.

It's a four-way stop, it's not like (noticing) the memorial would cause you to let your guard down."

She said the bottom line is the family is suffering unbearable loss, and if this is a spot where they can go for peace, and feel closeness, and after the sentencing, perhaps some closure, who are we to take that away from them?"

Jon Wells is a feature writer at The Spectator. jwells@thespec.com