As if the gruesome murders on Lester St. weren't bad enough, the sanctity of one of the victim's privacy was violated as well. Pictures of the body of Shindra Roberson laying on a slab, in the morgue were posted on the internet thanks to a local blogger. A victim's family has finally had the sense to be offended by this type behavior. This isn't the first or even second time the two parties involved have done this. Usually the family is looking for a payday. They think this kind of exposure helps their case. These people are in a vicarious position though, being that they can't sue anyone. Except those two people in question.Which may prove to this family's advantage.
Last week Thaddeus Matthews was saying he didn't care what anybody thought about him posting the pictures. He felt the public had a right to see what was happening in this city. And he didn't feel he owed anyone an apology for his actions.I still don't know what those pictures would reveal. Other than give people something to talk about. That was before it appeared he might be in trouble. The last I heard he was apologizing to the family. Now that N.J.Ford funeral home has abandoned him, and accused him of tresspassing. That was pivotal in helping him realize the error of his ways. In the past he has proven to be able to avoid paying his debt. So there isn't much of a chance of collecting from him. But to save his neck, he'll spill the beans on Ford. That's where it becomes interesting.
The Ford's are another story, they can be made to pay. I don't think they're going to close down the funeral home to avoid a lawsuit. They'll just have to bite the bullet and pay.I have often wondered why they allow him to hang around their business. He undoubtedly has something on them. I don't know, but hopefully we'll soon find out. The apology is in order, but she needs to get paid as well.
What happened at the funeral today is no reflection on the mother's defamation complaint. Some blabber mouth aunt who should have picked a better place to voice her opinions. And some unrepentent gang members who have no respect for the house of God. In no way undermines the fact that this woman was upset over her daughter's pictures being posted on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteJoe Ford's funeral home fined for blogger's photographs
ReplyDeleteBy Trevor Aaronson (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The state Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers today fined County Commissioner Joe Ford $1,000 and his funeral home, N.J. Ford and Sons, an additional $1,000 for an incident in which blogger Thaddeus Matthews took photographs of the body of 22-year-old Shindri Roberson, a victim of the Lester Street mass murder.
The combined $2,000 penalty is the maximum allowed under state statute and came as a result of three complaints filed with the funeral board, one from Roberson's family and two from board staff members.
The complaints were filed after Matthews posted several of the pictures, including one of Roberson's face, on his blog March 7.
That day, Matthews told The Commercial Appeal he entered N.J. Ford and Sons Funeral Home with permission but did not obtain specific authorization to photograph Roberson's body.
"You don't get permission to do everything you do, right?" Matthews said. "You just go after the story. That's what I did. My site is controversial in that I do controversial things, but I think the community needs to know how these people died."
County Commissioner Joe Ford said Matthews was not given permission to view the body.
"He trespassed," Ford said in March. "He's telling a boldfaced lie. We never give anybody permission to be in our facilities or in our prep room."
The Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers cited Ford for not properly securing the room containing the bodies.