Families angered by condition of South Memphis cemeteries
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Families spent their Mother’s Day gathering at South Memphis cemeteries to pay respects to those they lost. But loved ones tell us the properties are in such disrepair it has been making it difficult to fully honor those they’ve lost.
Mt. Carmel and Hollywood Cemetery, located next to each other on Hernando Road, have become overgrown. Sandra Lucas was furious two years ago when she couldn’t find her father’s headstone at Hollywood Cemetery due to overgrowth.
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“This is what I’m seeing,” Lucas said. “And I know what my father’s headstone is but I can’t find it.”
She’s still upset after taking matters into her own hands and clearing the weeds herself.
“I had some guys to come out. They got the railroad ties and put it out here. I found it under all these bushes,” Lucas said. “There’s a lot of headstones here, everywhere, all over here. Everything is covered up. Memphis had more money than this. We’re not paying taxes for nothing. What are they doing with the money? Just sitting on it.”
Sunday is a bittersweet day for Sandra Becton. It’s her father’s birthday and Mother’s Day. But for many others, the joy of honoring their mothers who have passed away is marred by frustration. They can’t find their loved ones’ final resting places due to the cemetery’s disarray, leaving them feeling lost and disrespected.
“You might get bit by a snake or anything going down through there,” Becton said. “Mama right there, but look what you got to go through to get down in there. It shouldn’t have to be like that.”
WREG has exposed the neglect at Mt. Carmel Cemetery for years, with local lawmakers calling for change. The grass and weeds are still waist-high, and headstones are broken or turned over.
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Some families are taking matters into their own hands, using weed eaters to clear a path to their loved ones’ graves. The cemetery office is abandoned, leaving no one in charge to answer their questions or concerns.
Gregory Pegues remembers when the office was still operational but now says it’s a symbol of the cemetery’s disregard.
“There used to be a book where everybody could log in and find their folks and go out to the spot,” Pegues said. “They took care of it at one point, I have to give them that. Now it’s just a rip-off.”
A City of Memphis representative sent a statement Sunday.
The court case for Mt. Carmel is currently pending in both Shelby County Environmental Court and the Western District of Tennessee Bankruptcy Court. The city is not under a court -order to maintain the grass at the abandoned cemetery. Shelby County and the city are exploring possible solutions outside of court while the cases are pending.
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