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A strange, horrible story from Alsip regarding the historic African-American Burr Oak Cemetery. It seems the manager and several grave-diggers dug up over 100 almost 300 bodies for the purposes of re-selling the graves. Authorities found piles of bones where the bodies had been dumped after being dug up. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said, "What we found was beyond startling and revolting...All of us who were working on this for the last week were pretty distraught. You start with the premise of your own loved ones and how they are cared for after they are buried, but there is also a true significance to this particular cemetery." Among the historic figures buried at the cemetery are Emmett Till, jazz/blues legend Dinah Washington and heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles. Dart said authorities are working to identify the remains that were removed, but said, "We cannot give people definitive answers at this point." [Tribune, Sun-Times]
Over 100 Up to 300 Graves Dug Up For Reselling
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Golf courses and cemeteries - the two biggest wastes of land known to mankind."
Al Czervic
I agree. It's part of the reason why I want to be cremated. Why take up all that space? I do like golf though...
I am either confused about how this works or surprised at the level of stupidity of the people involved. Did the people who were digging up the bodies and reselling the graves not realize that a relative or two might come by and notice that the body of their loved one was no longer there? Or did they leave the headstone. Hmm. I don't get it.
It's more that they didn't give a damn.
Hey, the mentions of the history of this cemetery leave out one Hollywood tid-bit.
Specifically, Burr Oak Cemetery was the location for the final scene in the movie "Cooley High." It's the scene where the guy who played Roger on "What's Happening?" attends the burial of the guy who played Washington on "Welcome Back Kotter."
Burr Oak cemetery is the historic American-African cemetery and I believe that the government of Illinois has their own law regarding the illegal re-selling of the dead bodies from the Burr Oak Cemetery. That was really a crime since they dug up almost 300 bodies. The government should give immediate action to that crime. Selling the dead bodies has some reason, probably they really need money and that was the way they think. No amount of fast cash can repair the damage done to families with loved ones in the Burr Oak Cemetery.