‘Find another place:’ Brentwood community protests construction of morgue next to school

The fight to stop a crime lab and morgue from being built in Brentwood continues as neighbors took to the streets to voice their outrage Saturday.

Their message is “Death is not welcome in Brentwood.”

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Jax Action News Shanila Kabir spent the day talking to several protesters, who say the city violated several regulations.

Several neighbors said it was disturbing to build a medical examiner’s office right across the street from a school and a neighborhood. Although the construction has started, they demand that the building be transformed into something else.

“I don’t think children should go out and potentially see bodies dumped in a morgue. They should find another place to build this,” Brentwood resident Samuel Whitaker said.

More than a dozen Brentwood neighbors protested early Saturday.

Protester Ameena Shareef is concerned about potential environmental and safety impacts.

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“The chemicals and all the waste that will be used will end up in our sewage area,” Shareef said.

The Metro Gardens Neighborhood Association filed a lawsuit against the city of Jacksonville earlier this year, alleging it violated zoning laws, property laws and more by approving construction of the crime lab and morgue.

Neighbors call the plan “crazy.”

“That’s what downtown is for. Jacksonville is a big city and there are plenty of places for this. This is simply not the right place to put a morgue,” Whitaker said.

The city of Jacksonville declined to comment because of the ongoing litigation against the city.

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Protesters said they still hope the city will agree to change the building’s function to something a little less morbid.

“Be it an urgent care centre, a skills centre, a computer lab or a training facility. We are open to almost anything but a morgue,” Shareef said.

Action News Jax contacted Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman, who represents the area. We await her response.

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