Clearwater descendants of erased Black cemeteries meet Monday after $7.5 million CRA settlement

Descendants of people buried in two erased Black cemeteries in Clearwater are asking other families to join them Monday. The meeting is at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Willa Carson Health and Wellness Center, 1108 N Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

The Clearwater Colored Cemetery Society, known as the 3C Society, called the meeting. It wants to hear from anyone who may have had a loved one buried at the former St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery or the North Greenwood African American Cemetery, according to Bay News 9.

"Instead of talking, come on down," said Diane Stephens, the society's president.

Why the meeting comes now

The meeting follows a settlement between the Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency and Crum Properties, which owns the FrankCrum headquarters at 100 S. Missouri Ave., the site of the former St. Matthew Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery.

FrankCrum sued the CRA after discovering hundreds of graves on land it had bought. The company said its purchase agreement indicated the remains had been relocated. Ground-penetrating radar and ground truthing later showed the graves were still there.

The CRA agreed to pay the company $7.5 million to settle the lawsuit, and the St. Pete Catalyst reported the agency approved the deal on Oct. 12. The CRA said the agreement is not an admission of fault by either party.

According to city spokesperson Allie Chandler Baier, as reported by the Catalyst, the payment comes from Downtown CRA reserves built up in previous years. Half of that money is city tax revenue and half is county tax revenue dedicated to downtown redevelopment. No North Greenwood CRA funds will be used.

Who decides what happens to the remains

The CRA said that because the site is privately owned, decisions about the remains rest with Crum Properties. Baier told the Catalyst the agreement imposes no obligations on the city or CRA concerning the graves, a possible memorial or discussions with descendants. The Catalyst reported the settlement provides no compensation to descendants and establishes no plan for the graves.

FrankCrum's statement criticized the city and the CRA. The company said the settlement is not a victory for the descendants. It also said the CRA had argued that the city's warranty against graves on the property had expired.

FrankCrum said it will work with community members to develop a structured, transparent and fair process for moving forward. "We don’t have the answers yet, but we will keep you informed," the company said.

What the descendants want

The 3C Society is made up of descendants of people buried at both cemeteries. The St. Matthews cemetery lies on the FrankCrum property. The North Greenwood cemetery is a few blocks away.

Members have long said they want the graves moved from the FrankCrum property to the North Greenwood Cemetery site, where an abandoned school now sits. Other property owners would be involved in any such move.

Stephens said the group is meeting with the Homeless Empowerment Program, known as HEP. She said HEP owns land across from Palmetto with graves beneath it, and the school board owns the Palmetto site itself.

Members say they have already voted on what they want to happen next, but no final decision has been made. The group hopes Monday's meeting will bring more families into the conversation.

"It’s very important for us to know where we came from, who we came from, and where we’re going from here," Stephens said.