Families looking for answers still in the dark about whether cemetery in Carson will reopen
CARSON, Calif. (KABC) -- Families looking for answers after the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Carson suddenly closed are still in the dark as the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau looks into the reported claims.
Brenda Bell, better known as Ma Bell, has more than 20 family members buried at the Carson cemetery, including her mother, father and a sister.
""For this to be happening now, I've just been crying so much," Bell said.
Eyewitness News first reported on the cemetery's closure last week, when residents said they were unable to visit loved ones resting in peace there because the gates were locked shut.
Now, one week later, the cemetery is still closed and the organization running the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery is still not responding. The city of Carson has left a sign saying that the cemetery was unreachable and that anyone wishing to file a complaint should reach out to the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.
The bureau said in a statement to Eyewitness News, in part: "Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery has a current and clear license that expires on 10/30/2023. The Cemetery and Funeral Bureau (CFB) is aware of reports that the cemetery may have reduced operational hours and/or closed, and CFB is looking into these reports."
Bell said she's left dozens of messages, but still no answer. She is haunted over not knowing what will become of her loved ones' resting place.
"What hurts you the most is that your family members who have passed on are not even being allowed to rest in peace. I'm fighting for the dead. I'm fighting for the dead," she said.
VIDEO: Families looking for answers after Carson cemetery suddenly closes: 'We're in the dark'
Bell also said that when her parents passed away, the cemetery was one of the only available resting places for African Americans in the Los Angeles area.
"We weren't allowed to be buried anywhere else but at Lincoln," she said.
