MoJo's February Hellraiser!
After hearing cemetery horror stories, Annette Branche raised hell.
Claim to fame: Blew whistle on a Maryland cemetery
In her line of fire: Cemeteries that take advantage of customers
When Annette Branche sold plots for Maryland National Memorial Park in Laurel, Md., she was careful to show customers precisely where the graves would be located.
Then she began to hear stories. Portia-serena Richmond, whose father died in 1987, told Branche that when her family gathered at the hilltop plot they had purchased, they were shocked to find a grave bearing an unfamiliar name. Eventually, Richmond found her father's grave at the bottom of the hill.
When she heard this, Branche says, "It made me ill." Convinced her employer, HIG Corp., deceived clients, she fed the story to a newspaper and, a month later, was fired. But the publicity spurred a state investigation, ending with a $350,000 court settlement for families allegedly overcharged interest on unused goods, such as plots and vaults.
In 1991, Branche founded War Against Cemeteries' Unfair Practices (WACUP, and yes, it's pronounced "wake up"), a consumer group that lobbies for cemetery regulation. In light of recent news coverage of ghoulish stories (like the one about a California cemetery, which dug up and discarded coffins to create more plot space), WACUP is determined to educate people so they aren't so vulnerable when they lose a loved one. Otherwise, she says, "They are prime targets."
For more information about WACUP, call (717) 232-6086, or write to: WACUP, P.O. Box 5, Highspire, PA 17034.
Page 1 of 1 
Why Did Rev. Jesse Jackson Wait 20 Years to Change His Comments
-
tagged as:
- solution
I a former "Whistleblower" against the unethical and illegal burial practices in Maryland, a number of cemetery owners have beeen found guilty reselling burial sites in overpopulated cemeteries. The old tired excuses of stating to gravesite property owners, "Don't blame me for the poor bookikeeping practices of my predesssor, they just did not keep track of the graves sold!" Meanwhile, in many cases, the erring staff is also moved from one part of the country to the another in most cases the problem cemetery is owned by the same company.
I send two packages of documentation which includied notorized letters from families, who could not find loved ones graves, family plots with strangers buried next to wives, husbands and children, lost graves of beloved family members and inflated services charges for goods and services yet to be delivered. It is not uncommon for cemetery space to be "redeveloped especially when the area is considered the "older part" of the cemetery and very few if any visitors come to decorate the graves.
However, in my letter dated October 22, 1989 Rev. Jessie Jackson stated, he "I'am limited by not having more information about your employment problems and how it relates to your "cry of distress." He refused to get involved in any manner at that time to assist the grief stricken families many have never found their departed loved ones burial siter and some were buried in swamps to the present time in thiese three cemeteries. The television cameras were absent at that time.
Sincerely,
Annette Branche
