On Friday, August 18, outraged families of loved ones laid to rest at Lincoln Memorial Park in Carson expressed their frustration at the recent closure of the privately-owned cemetery. The strong indignation was conveyed during a town hall meeting at Prevailing in Christ Ministries hosted by Pastor Michael J. Ealey. The owner of the cemetery, Michael Mintz, abandoned the property and surrendered his cemetery license. As a result, the cemetery gates were briefly locked, but have since reopened although the grounds are in a state of disrepair due to neglect.
The town hall meeting afforded community members with an opportunity to hear from elected and state officials about the future of Lincoln Memorial Park. Speakers included Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson, State Senator Steven Bradford, Carson Mayor Pro Tem Jawane Hilton, Compton Mayor Emma Sharif, and State Cemetery and Funeral Bureau Chief Gina Sanchez.
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County Supervisor Holly Mitchell, in whose district the cemetery is located, issued a news release stating, “It is my expectation that the Bureau, City of Carson and County do all we can that we are uniquely position to do, to help address the issue so that this space remains operable and that there is a long-term plan in place.”
Gipson said that he became involved after receiving multiple calls about the cemetery’s closure, which prompted him to visit the facility. Upon encountering the locked gates, he jumped the fence “to make sure everything was ok.”
“The police were called to open the gate and eventually, the lock was changed. The community was asked if they could open and close the gates so people could see their loved ones. Not only did the community answer the call to keep the gates open, but they also stepped up and did cleanup of the cemetery grounds,” noted Gipson.
Hilton also commended the community’s efforts as well as credited Gipson and Bradford with persuading the local utility company to turn the cemetery’s water back on.
Outlining the site’s options, Sanchez said, “Since the cemetery is privately owned, the State cannot come in and take over. The plan would be to find someone who would buy the cemetery. The county is not legally required to assume responsibility for privately owned cemeteries that cease operations. The court can appoint a temporary manager. The new owner would need to be a licensed cemetery manager.”
A similar fate occurred with Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Compton, which was first temporarily shut down in 2000, and closed again in 2020. But as recounted in a November 2021 Sentinel article, the nonprofit, One Section At A Time, was able to purchase the property and spent 22 months restoring Woodlawn to its original state as a hallowed and sacred place. Today, visitors traverse neatly trimmed grounds and see clean and straightened headstones marking the graves of relatives and friends.
The situation at Woodlawn influenced Gipson to author AB651 that was signed into law in October 2021and became effective January 1, 2022. The bill increases the funding formula of the endowment care fund of each cemetery to assist cemeteries in maintaining its property.
“AB651 also authorizes a county to step in when a cemetery surrenders or loses its license temporarily or loses its license temporarily or permanently,” asserted Gipson.
Sanchez of the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau noted that the endowment for Lincoln Memorial is healthy, largely due to prepaid interments.
Still, the assurances of the officials did not allay the anger many in the audience communicated about the status of the cemetery.
Lori King of Los Angeles stated that her brother, who passed in 1978, was buried at Lincoln and she paid the opening and closing costs to inter her mother, who recently passed, in the cemetery. However, the uncertainty at Lincoln Memorial has resulted in her mother’s remains being stored in the mortuary’s refrigerator for the past two months.
“I pay $150 per day [to the mortuary], but my mom’s wishes were to be buried near her son. I am so upset! I have been given promises that my mother will be buried, but for now she is still in the morgue,” said King.
Carrie Hairston of Los Angeles shared that she visits the grave of her son, who died years ago at the age of 20, and she has other family members and friends who are buried at Lincoln Memorial.
“I don’t come often, but I do come to check on my son’s grave,” said Hairston, adding that she was pleased to have access, thanks to people volunteering to open and close the gates until a solution is reached.
Lincoln Memorial Park holds a special in local Black history since many people interred are of African American descent. The site was initially used as a graveyard in 1924 on land owned by F.B. Miller, a White realtor. In 1929, the burial ground was purchased by Kelsey Pharr, who was a Black funeral director. Mintz assumed ownership in the 1990s after the previous owners were accused of improper burials, discarding headstones, and embezzling $400,000 from the endowment funds.
One of the African Americans buried at Lincoln Memorial is Marine James Anderson Jr., who was killed in the Vietnam War on February 28, 1967, during Operation Prairie II. Private First Class Anderson received the Medal of Honor for using to his body to cover a grenade, which saved his entire platoon.
Managing Editor Cora Jackson-Fossett contributed to this article.
