LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Posted on 06 August 2015 by LeslieM

Deerfield Beach Blacks Disrespected In Life and Death

Dear Editor:

How can distraught Deerfield Beach residents get a piece of private land that was once a cemetery/graveyard called the “Old Colored Cemetery” in some records turned into a historical memorial?

How can residents prevent townhouses from being built on top of dead African Americans’ remains?

This land could be made into a memorial to all the black Broward County residents who, because of segregation, were buried in odd lots and side yards and whose locations (if not their memories) are lost forever to their descendants.

Who can make this happen? Who should be notified about this? Who has the power/clout/resources to make this happen?

That is what a group of residents were discussing at the recent meeting held by former Deerfield Beach Commissioner Ben Preston. Other than a petition to preserve the site, nothing concrete was decided, but a lot of good ideas were aired.

It seems to me that the public is being kept in the dark about this, very little information has been released as to what is happening, what might happen, and what the rules and regulations are involving a situation such as this.

This meeting was not held by our representatives, it should have been, but it wasn’t. We haven’t heard much from them at all.

The site on a 5 acre lot at the intersection of SE 2 Avenue and SE 5 Court, Deerfield Beach, is owned by a private owner who, after being assured by test after test that all remains had been removed, is distressed to find that wasn’t the case. Now what?

And, why is the digging for remains continuing?

It seems to me that finding as much as they have is certainly an in-your-face-sign that there are many more, as many as 300 if anecdotal evidence is to be believed, after all the ones found were right where the relatives said they would be.

It’s time for the State/County/City to step in and declare it a historic site and shake loose some bucks to acquire the property.

There is no possibility of relocating all the remains. Sure, you could relocate the few skull and leg bones and teeth, but it would be impossible to find all the decomposed molecules and small scattered remains of the decedents.

Picture your precious relatives being treated this way. Picture only some of a loved one’s parts dug up and relocated. How would you feel?

Respect that was once denied can now be given to an entire group of people.

This is a perfect opportunity to create a memorial; there is no African American Cemetery memorial in Broward County.

The State/County/City should buy this land and turn it into a memorial park.

Bett Willett

Deerfield Beach

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