Not always resting in peace –Cemetery abuse

It is a difficult, almost imaginable thing to think that our dearly departed loved ones we have held in our arms and hearts have been not only disturbed after burial but their physical remains desecrated like trash for the profit of a hundred plus new grave spaces. Instead of 40 pieces of silver for betrayal of a beloved teacher and friend, it is hundreds of thousands of dirty dollars slipped under the table in to the greedy pockets of possibly cemetery employees / representatives. It is revolting to even consider.

One of the most comforting aspects of a cemetery is that when a loved one dies we believe that we will always have them near us at the local cemetery and that their physical remains are safe and respected. We want to know beyond any doubt that they are resting in peace.

This is far form the situation tonight at Burr Oak cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. Not only are the remains of a hundred or more individuals buried in that cemetery been violated, but trust associated with the perpetual care service of a well established and highly honored cemetery has been violated.

Money and death often make people desperate. It is unfortunate that this combination has inflicted so much pain on so many families and loved ones as well as the community at large.

It doesn’t happen often thank goodness that such cemetery violations occur. When such violations do occur, the sense of loss can be intensely triggered for those directly and even indirectly affected by such situations. When a cemetery violation or other hazardous situation occurs, we as individuals realize that we can be fragile and taken advantage of even after death. We come face to face with the fact that we may not rest in peace happily ever after.

We also realize that we place a great deal of trust in the cemeteries to perpetually take care of our loved ones after we must walk away from their earthly remains on the day of burial. That trust is sacred. It is a great responsibility that a cemetery is entrusted with.

That great responsibility that a cemetery holds must be honored 24/7 365 days a year for all times. So often a cemetery gets busy with the numerous tasks of daily operation and the bigger picture of the sincere and intense trust that is placed in its hands by sorrowing loved ones is enormous.

Today we mourn not only for the loss of security that families and the Alsip Illinois community is experiencing at the violation that occurred at their cemetery. We also mourn that monetary greed and disrespect that was much more important than that of honoring the dead that are buried at Burr Oak Cemetery.

I commend those that have brought attention to this situation. It not only results in the disruption of such terrible violation but also helps to begin to reconstruct the integrity of the cemetery profession.

Dr. Terrie Modesto
www.drterriemodesto.com
www.tearcenter.com

Cemetery workers accused of digging up graves, reselling plots
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/09/illinois.cemetery.scheme/index.html
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Employees at a historic African-American cemetery near Chicago allegedly dug up more than 100 graves as part of an off-the-books scheme to resell burial plots to unsuspecting customers, authorities said Wednesday.
Cook County authorities began investigating the cemetery about six weeks ago after receiving a call from the owners of Burr Oak Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, located about 20 miles south of Chicago.
The owners had concerns about possible "illegalities going on" regarding finances at the business, said Sheriff Tom Dart.
"What we found was beyond startling and revolting," Dart told reporters at the cemetery.
The workers at Burr Oak, where lynching victim Emmett Till, blues legend Dinah Washington and some Negro League baseball players are buried among others, allegedly resold the plots, disinterred the bodies, dumped the remains and pocketed the cash, Dart said.
Most of the excavations occurred in back lots, where the plots were older and not frequently visited, he said. However, other plots may have been disturbed as well.
At least four people are in custody facing a slew of felony charges, authorities said. The current owners, who could not be reached by CNN for comment Wednesday, have run the place for more than five years, but are not believed to be involved, Dart said.
"We are sensitive to the fact that individuals have loved ones buried here and also the sensitivities as it pertains to this particular cemetery," Dart said. "This is the cemetery were Emmett Till is buried. Numerous other significant members of the African-American community are buried there as well."
He said authorities are "very confident" that the grave of Till, whose lynching at 14 helped spark the Civil Rights Movement, has not been disturbed.
Still, investigators are trying to determine the scope of the scheme and are faced with trying to track down the families of those whose graves were disinterred and those who, unbeknownst to them, purchased occupied plots, Dart said.
He said the workers may have doctored records to cover their tracks.
The FBI, expert forensic scientists and local funeral directors have been called in to help, he said.
"We cannot give people definitive answers at this point," Dart said. "Our biggest challenge right now is the attempt to bring peace of mind."