Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has teamed up with Reverend Hosea Hines to demand an investigation into the shocking discovery of 215 bodies in a pauper’s cemetery behind the Hinds County, Mississippi jail. According to the Chicago Crusader, the gravesites, marked only with a metal rod and number, have raised serious concerns about the circumstances leading to these deaths.
Addressing a congregation at the Stronger Hope Baptist Church in Jackson, Crump expressed disbelief about the situation unfolding in Jackson, Mississippi. The investigation follows a series of issues, ranging from nonexistent or contaminated water to the alarming revelation of the pauper’s graveyard.
Reverend Hosea Hines, senior Pastor of the Christ Tabernacle Church and national leader of A New Day Coalition for Equity and Black America joined Crump in emphasizing the heart-wrenching reality that relatives of the deceased went for extended periods without knowledge of their loved ones’ final resting places.
“It really saddens my heart to know that their relatives went that long, some over a year, not knowing if their loved ones were dead or alive and then coming to the realization that they had been buried in a pauper’s grave behind a jailhouse,” said Hines. He highlighted the importance of proper notification, enabling families to pay their respects appropriately.
Crump acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the cause of the deaths, emphasizing that it is unclear whether they were influenced by “racism, prejudice, or bigotry.” The call for an investigation aims to shed light on the circumstances leading to these 215 deaths and provide closure to the grieving families who have endured the distressing lack of information about their loved ones.
