But efforts to make the city aware of it went nowhere.
By Brice Claypoole
Original Air Date: May 22, 2026
Host: Last week, the Manatee County Sheriff began investigating vandalism of the Old Memphis cemetery in Palmetto. WSLR brings you an update on the story and revelations that the vandalism may have occurred long before investigations began. We also report on the cemetery clean-up planned for this Saturday, May 23. Brice Claypoole has the details.
Brice Claypoole: Last week, authorities learned that the historically Black Old Memphis Cemetery had been vandalized. Numerous vaults were smashed open; others, spray-painted with the names “Trump” and “Ron DeSantis.” There is no evidence that the vandals disturbed human remains.
On Friday, Manatee Sheriff’s PIO Randy Warren gave WSLR an update on the ongoing investigation. He said that while the spray-painting was clearly vandalism, the smashed vaults could also have been damaged by storms, erosion and “shifting soil.” No “substantial leads” have turned up, and the sheriff’s office is still looking for someone who will identify the vandals.
[Wind, birdsong, footsteps on grass]
When I visited Old Memphis Cemetery, plywood boards had been placed over the collapsed graves and the spray-paint had been removed. The county, residents told me, has been cleaning up throughout the week.
Founded in 1904, the cemetery was used for over seven decades. Among those buried at the cemetery are many Black World War I and World War II veterans. One local resident with family members in the cemetery told me that many years ago their concrete vaults were poured by hand, the names etched into the wet cement.
The 3-acre plot became full in 1977 and was declared abandoned by the county in 1988. Soon, it became overgrown and fell into disrepair. Some graves are sunken or hidden. One has a tree growing out of it. But the site remains important to Memphis, a historically Black community that developed around the farming and packing economy during segregation.
Tracy Washington, President of the Manatee County NAACP, learned about the vandalism from a community member last week and reported it to District 2 Commissioner Amanda Ballard. Ballard then notified law enforcement. I asked Washington:
BC: What’s it felt like to be targeted with this vandalism?
Tracey Washington
Tracy Washington: Racism. I’m just going to call it for what it is.
BC: That’s an answer I have heard from many community members.
Ed Bailey, who is running in the Republican primary for Ballard’s Commission seat, calls the vandalism a “hate crime.” Bailey has a grandaunt buried at Old Memphis Cemetery and went to check on her grave when he heard about the vandalism.
Ed Bailey
Ed Bailey: I went out there and saw all the destruction. Immediately, my heart broke. It was just such an evil act.
A lot of people are angry because they’re saying, “One, why was this allowed to happen? Two, why were there no security measures in place?” And I know the county just did something where they gave $100,000, but a lot of people are saying it’s too little, too late.
BC: Bailey says that if he has a seat on the commission next year, he’ll focus on protecting cemeteries.
EB: One, it’s the right thing to do, but two, it’s personal. I have family members out there like many of the people in our community do.
Photo by Brice Claypoole
BC: When Commissioner Ballard reported the damage last week, it triggered an outpouring of outrage and offers of help. However, several residents told WSLR that the vandalism may have been there for months at least, which Bailey argued raises questions about why it was not investigated sooner.
Chris Green is a Memphis resident who began tending to the cemetery several months ago.
Chris Green: I’ve been riding by there for quite some time. One day in particular in the beginning of the year, God laid it on my heart to go out there and look around and try to see what I can do. Nobody had given this place any second thought. It was just a really gut-wrenching feeling.
BC: Green says that when he began visiting the cemetery in January of this year, the vandalism was already there.
Photo by Brice Claypoole
I caught up with Commissioner Ballard at an event in Palmetto, where community members were arranging plastic flowers and small flags to place at Old Memphis ahead of Memorial Day. We spoke one day after the Manatee County Commission unanimously approved $100,000 to pay for fencing, lighting and potentially cameras at Old Memphis.
Ballard told me about an event this Saturday, May 23 to clean up the cemetery.
Amanda Ballard: We have the community getting together. We’re going to have demonstrations on how to properly clean gravestones. We’ve had property management out to cut back some brush, so we’re gonna be clearing off the site, putting on a lot of flowers—a lot of flags.
Photo by Brice Claypoole
BC: Ballard also had a message of hope:
AB: I’m really excited that the community has come together in such a big way around this horrible vandalism incident. It has really reinforced my faith in this community and how we can come together when times are tough, and I really, really appreciate that.
BC: The clean-up takes place this Saturday, May 23 beginning at 9 a.m. Anna Maria Oyster Bar and the Peach Cobbler Factory will be providing food at the event. A local contractor and funeral home owner will be replacing broken vaults and headstones free of charge to the county.
For WSLR News, this is Brice Claypoole.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.