Is this more of those, “Southern Christian Values” I keep hearing about?
No, this is invisible hand of the market. Southern Christian Values is the part where we don’t care about stealing the remains of poor black people. Or that might be compassionate conservatism. I forget.
GOP: No regulation needed by big govt, free market will take care of this issue. Just give it more time.
“The state says no decision regarding Galilee’s future will be made until
investigators determine how many grave spaces are occupied.”
Why??? Why do you need that information first?
“Changes in oversight would be unfair to cemeteries “attempting to operate their businesses honorably,” Walters wrote.”
Why? Those running their businesses well shouldn’t notice anything more that some people with clipboards walking around once a year. And what’s with the word “honorably” in there? What is that supposed to mean?
Who cares, Black Lives or corpses don’t matter. I am almost positive I have read similar stories over the years about this happening and all the cemeteries were mostly black bodies.
This is horrible, but also sad. Cemeteries suck as a business model. You take a one-time fee (albeit not a small one) for interring someone (OK, usually a purchase price for a plot and then another charge for the actual burial) and then you’re on the hook forever, for maintenance and taxes and repairs and whatever else comes down the pike. So it’s not surprising that some cemeteries, especially ones that had mostly poor customers, would run into money troubles and then do some really horrible things in attempts to stay solvent. Not saying that’s necessarily what happened here (could just be stupidity and greed), but it is something of a catch-22. Especially if return on investment goes south, cemeteries need a constant influx of new burials to cover costs, and eventually that just doesn’t work.
Around here there are ongoing fights between various churches, whose cemeteries are full and thus producing no more revenue, and the state, which has a legal responsibility to maintain “abandoned” cemeteries.
Better solution, in two words: Soylent Green.
It’s not a “Southern” problem, but one of greed and lax (or non-existent) regulation. One of the worst cases like this in recent years happened at Burr Oak Cemetery, near Chicago. The common thread in these cases is that, more often than not, they happen at cemeteries that cater to a low-income and minority clientele, and the owners think they can get away with shenanigans like this.
Don’t expect anyone in TN government to care. Last year thousands of people complained about a pet cremation service not doing what they contracted to do. What happened besides a series of newspaper articles, NOTHING. The AG essentially said; I believe the company and the contracts that clearly state cremation and return of ashes were not worth the paper they were printed on. That allowed the firm to steal $10,000’s of thousands and get away with it. Yes, they lost their state license, however, we have learnt since they are back in business using a relative as the licensee.
The Dick must feed!
Who would have imagined that the poor and marginalized in our society would get the same toxic runaround after death that they got in life?