“Vandalism at historic Black cemetery in Florida leaves community in deep sorrow”

COCOA, Fla. – A final resting place for African-Americans that dates back to the Civil War has been vandalized.

The Hilltop Cemetery in Cocoa is a historically Black cemetery off US-1.

In 2018, the city repaired an old grave that was crumbling and exposing remains.

Now, the city says someone spray-painted a gravestone.

Police believe the vandalism happened January 5 but there are still no suspects.

During an interview with News 6 reporter James Sparvero at the cemetery on Tuesday, Ken Terrell, the facilities and grounds supervisor, discussed the efforts to tidy up the area. Terrell expressed his intention to identify the owners of the plots to inform their families about the cleanup process.

The city said that because it doesn’t own graves, it needs permission from the descendants of the person buried at the grave to remove the graffiti.

Terrell said that locating them has been difficult.

”It’s not right by no means,” he said. “We’re working to get it cleaned up as fast as we can. We just have to go through the process, unfortunately.”

Terrell pointed out more graffiti in the cemetery over by its blighted walls. A resident in 2018 commented on the upkeep of the cemetery in general.

”It’s not where it should be for it to be a cemetery in the city of Cocoa,” Larry Brown said.

Another resident with family buried at the cemetery said Tuesday she was disgusted by the vandalism.

”We’ve had a little minor stuff up here, but never any damage like this, never,” Helen Williams said.

Her message to whoever is responsible was to turn themselves in.

”See a doctor ‘cause you need some serious help,” Williams said. “Anybody that would come up and mess with dead people, you got some screws loose.”