‘Find another place:’ Brentwood community protests morgue being built next to school

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The fight to stop the construction of a forensic lab and morgue in Brentwood continues as neighbors took to the streets to voice their outrage on Saturday.

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

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Action News Jax Shanila Kabir spent the day talking to a few protestors, and they allege the city violated multiple regulations.

Several neighbors said it is disturbing to build a medical examiner’s office right across from a school and a neighborhood. Although construction has begun, they are asking for the building to be turned into anything else.

“I don’t think the kids should come out and have to possibly see dead bodies being rolled into a morgue. They should find another place to build that at,” Brentwood resident Samuel Whitaker said.

More than a dozen Brentwood neighbors protested early Saturday.

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

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“The chemicals and all the waste that’s going to be utilized will be going into our sewer area,” Shareef said.

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

Neighbors call the plan “insanity.”

“This is what downtown is for. Jacksonville is a large city, and there’s a lot of places for something like that. This is just not the appropriate place to be putting a morgue at,” Whitaker said.

The City of Jacksonville declined to comment due to the pending litigation against the city.

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Protesters said they are still hoping the city will agree to change the function of the building to something a little less morbid.

“Let it be an urgent care center, a skill center, a computer lab, or a training facility. We are open to almost anything other than a morgue,” Shareef said.

Action News Jax reached out to Councilwoman Ju’Coby Pittman who represents the area. We are waiting for her response.

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