“These families deserve love,” Darshell Mitchell said.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hundreds of families want better for their loved ones buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery. Lush grass and uncut trees even cover the gravestone of famous Memphis legend Tom Lee.
The overgrowth became so bad that Darchel Mitchell, a Memphian whose mother was buried here in 1991, decided to donate her own money to help clean it up.
“The military stationed me in another place far from here. After retiring, I moved here and came here to visit my mother… I laid flowers on my mother’s grave for the first time on Mother’s Day. I couldn’t find her. It was devastating.”
Tom Lee is buried somewhere in the plague along with Mitchell’s mother. The downtown park is named for his heroic efforts to rescue more than 30 people from drowning in the Mississippi River in 1925.
“The city blames the state and the state blames the city,” Mitchell said. “So if they won’t do it, I’ll do it. I’ve started a GoFundMe page and it’s slowly starting to get some attention. I talked to Monster Tree Service today and we signed a deal. I’m a disabled veteran. I’m going to take advantage and start paying him to cut down these trees. If I have to do it one tree at a time, I’ll do it one tree at a time.”
The City of Memphis announced that Mount Carmel and other cemeteries will be mowed this week, weather permitting.
The city also said it was “not required by court order to maintain the lawns of abandoned cemeteries.” Both the city and Shelby County are seeking an out-of-court solution.
