When family members lay a loved one to rest, they expect that the final resting place for their body will be the same as the one they envision for their soul: peaceful.
When family members lay a loved one to rest, they expect that the final resting place for their body will be the same as the one they envision for their soul: peaceful. So it’s no surprise that relatives of those buried in Burr Oak are outraged that the graves of their dearly departed have been desecrated all because of greed. Those who are responsible should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law; life in prison for such deplorable behavior is not too much to ask.
If you aren’t familiar with the story, the manager of Burr Oak Cemetery in suburban Alsip, and three gravediggers dug up more than 300 grave sites, reselling the plots. Bodies were found pounded down, buried on top of one other, body parts were scattered around and headstones carelessly tossed to the side. Family members are horrified and rightly so. So many have no idea of knowing where the remains of their loved ones actually are; they can only wait for authorities to identify the bodies.
For a time, Burr Oak was one of few cemeteries near Chicago that buried Blacks. Its early importance to the African-American community makes this story all the more outrageous. Over the years, cemeteries began to tear down their color lines, allowing Blacks to be buried among whites. However, African-Americans in the area continued to revere Burr Oak. In return, the owners victimized those who have supported it for generations.
Emmett Till, the 14-year Chicago boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 for whistling at a white woman, is buried at Burr Oak. The gruesome nature of Till’s death, and the public funeral his mother was determined to have, breathed life into the Civil Rights Movement.
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