A state task force studying ways to better regulate cemeteries will hold its second public meeting Thursday evening at a South Side high school.
A state task force studying ways to better regulate cemeteries will hold its second public meeting Thursday evening at a South Side high school. The nine-member task force, led by South Side native and attorney Patricia Brown Holmes, will meet from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Percy Julian High School, 10330 S. Elizabeth. The public is invited to attend. By Sept. 15, the task force must make recommendations to Gov. Pat Quinn, who commissioned the task force, on how cemeteries could be better regulated in hopes of preventing another Burr Oak Cemetery scandal. In July, four Burr Oak employees were charged with dismembering human bodies, which is a Class X felony. According to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, the employees were engaged in a plot-reselling scheme that reportedly netted $300,000 over four years. The first public meeting was held downtown at the James R. Thompson Center, but public turnout was low. And since many families affected by the cemetery scandal live on the South Side, Holmes said it made sense to have a meeting on the South Side. “I expect a larger turnout this time since the meeting is on the South Side,” she told the Defender. “By having it at this location, which is accessible by Metra and the CTA, affected families will not have to travel so far.” As of today, Burr Oak, 4400 W. 127th St. in south suburban Alsip, remains closed after Dart declared it a crime scene. The FBI is also assisting the Sheriff’s office in the investigation to determine how many grave sites were disturbed. ______ Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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