Johnny McCray, attorney for Eason and two other Pompano Beach residents who feel betrayed by the sale, said the Westview board failed to follow its own decision-making policies by approving the sale with only four trustees participating when a minimum of five are required by their association’s bylaws. Westview chairman Walter Hunter did not return a call seeking comment. The sale still needs formal city approvals before it becomes a done deal.Įfforts to reach attorneys for KZ Copans were unsuccessful, and the lawyer for Westview declined to comment because he had just joined the case. Westview expects to use the proceeds of the sale to complete long-needed repairs on the property. The board of Westview opted to sell the 4.5 acres for $1.29 million last year to a development company called KZ Copans, which according to court papers intends to “transform the vacant land into a multi-use industrial area that will bring jobs and resources to the Pompano Beach community.” For them, a $1,000 plot is a manageable final expense. If the sale is approved, little land will be left for future burials.Įason said his own family members could also afford to be buried elsewhere, but there are others who cannot. Race is not a qualification to be buried at Westview, though the property’s use has been mostly consistent with its original intent. In turn, the churches established a non-profit organization, the Westview Cemetery Community Association, to ensure that Black residents seeking an affordable burial site would not be turned away. Local businessman Paul Hunter donated 14.5 acres to local black churches. Westview was founded in 1952, at a time when Blacks could not be buried on the same grounds as whites. I, too, have every intention of being buried there.”ĭecades ago, Eason’s grandfather bought 13 plots at the site. It has a sentimental value to the people who live here.
“Esther Rolle could afford to be buried anywhere she wanted,” said Eason, one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit trying to stop the sale of the 4.5 acres.
The most prominent name among the headstones is Esther Rolle, a Pompano native who gained fame in the 1970s and 80s as the matriarch Florida Evans on the TV series “Good Times.” Pompano residents like Kevin Eason, 61, revere the ground, on Copans Road east of Powerline Road, where 400 city residents have been laid to rest since 1952.