Relatives of a late Black businessman who helped popularize Juneteenth in San Diego are suing a cemetery after his remains were reported missing from the family’s burial plot. Greenwood Memorial Park informed the family that Sidney Cooper’s body and casket were not in the plot where he was supposed to have been buried two decades ago. Cemetery staff discovered it was empty as they prepared to bury Cooper’s wife, who died in March. The cemetery says the problem occurred under previous ownership, but it is working to rectify the problem. Cooper promoted Juneteenth for decades in a neighborhood where he ran businesses, including a barbershop and a produce store.
