How this New York island became a mass grave 

What should a memorial for Covid-19 victims look like? This feature from Vox's The Highlight explores the role of memorials in processing our collective grief: bit.ly/3uv45yN

I feel Hart Island has the potential to become a really nice memorial park, with lots of greenery and an information centre explaining the history as well as records of everyone buried there

this is wayyyy better than how burials are managed in many cities. I think with tentative care, attention, and FUNDING, this could become a very nice memorial to New York's forgotten and overlooked populations. I hope the next 5-10 years will see more attention given and the improvement of amenities so New Yorkers can easily and safely visit their neighbors.

This video also brings up another issue: why is it that you have to be related to the person you designate as your next of kin? In the case of Roderick Paulus, he designated a friend as his next of kin and she has no legal rights to claim his body or execute his wishes or death plan. How is that just? A lot of people are cut off or estranged from their families, so they should be able to designate whoever they wish as their next of kin.

This hits differently. Died and buried without a proper ceremony, without a family or friend.

As heartbreaking as it is, I’m sure Vox made a big difference in honoring Roderick’s life and death by putting him in this video and educating the public on this situation. I hope his best friend finds peace and is able to gain access to the island soon so that she can visit his burial site and grieve properly as everyone deserves. RIP to all the souls lost who are buried there.

That woman’s story was heart breaking and I pray that she will be able to have a memorial for him with her family ASAP. Rest In Peace.

What a good friend that woman is. I'm honestly moved. I wish more people in the world were that loyal and kind.

never thought a city could have the equivalent of a drawer that you put old keys and cards in... just a sad image

What a sad story, I sincerely hope it becomes a beautiful place. In my country, the Netherlands, and in Belgium, we have city poets. They make a poem for every city burial.

I want to be buried under a new tree. Let it feed on me and give it and myself a new life.

Hart Island should be given a massive memorial, and probably a museum to the COVID era.

To all people saying the island should me renamed. ❤Hart means heart in dutch. So it is already called heart island❤

Thank you for bringing Roderick's story to light. Hoping Anita and his friends & loved ones will find peace during their healing process.

The story of Roger the toy store owner proper got me teary 🥺😰

“don’t be afraid of dead they no longer can harm you, be afraid of living”

Thank goodness that New York is doing something about this devastating situation.

As a kid on Long Island they told us Hart Island was cursed and that the government would shoot you if you tried to visit. It’s funny what they’ll exaggerate to kids to scare them.

So many bodies and stories... yet the island is still plagued with eternal despair and loneliness.

Why do I feel like New Yorkers have an island for everything. Like they got that one spooky island where they put infected ppl, they got a prison island...not to forget Ellis and Liberty Island. This one is just an addition to the collection at this point.

I just gotta say this: RIP RODRICK & ANYBODY THAT WAS FORGOTTEN ON HART ISLAND. YALL ARE NEVER EVER FORGOTTEN.

I had no idea, and I’ve been here my whole life

Lived in NY my whole life, never knew about Hart Island until now.

If NYC invested more money & care to Hart Island, it could become a proper memorial site that draws in many visitors like Arlington or Oak Ridge Cemeteries.

love how everyone looks at New York and thinks that’s where they go to on holiday, but they’re actually going to small little islands (I’m talking about NYC)

That was really sad. They need to build a memorial on that island and let people visit.

I think it's still too early to be making memorial for covid-19 victims. Only when we finally have control over it should it be erected as a symbol of remembrance and love for those that have fallen, for victory of those who are still standing and did the right thing and of shame for those who chose not to do anything.

This was very powerful. I hope New Yorkers do gain access to a place transformed to one of peace and rest.

As much as death is a taboo topic for many, I force myself to watch these kind of videos.. Because at the end of the day, death is a necessary part of life..

Learnt about this from Pose - This breaks my heart. It feels like even after death, this is a reminder these people are alone - separate from the mainland. I know they won’t care much because they’re gone, but they were probably alone in their final moments. Life is painful but I hope regardless, people will try to seek out a better future for themselves.

Many of these people should not be forgotten. They should be remembered in history due to these horrible events in history 💧

I can already see so many potential problems with "if they can't contact anyone" Phones aren't a right in this country. Internet access isn't a right in this country.

She’s a smart lady, my condolences goes to her and her family. Love from the UK my sis. 🇬🇧❤️

What a fantastic video that shows the importance of remembrance and the ways that allocation of resources can have decades-long consequences

All fun and games until water level goes up and bodies start floating around

Cenotaphs are important. Having a place commemorating a human's existence is consoling for those in the future seeking family and friends, even decades and centuries later. My family has chosen cremation and scattering but we have cenotaphs placed on their parents' graves to document their existence.

Everybody deserves the best memorial even with or without relatives.

Pose season 2 episode 1 brought attention to this island. I wasn't aware of it prior.

Anita Perry’s interview almost broke me, incredible video great job Vox!! More videos like this please!

This story was incredibly insightful and moving. Love the work you do for this channel.

In 1998, the Singapore government announced a policy to limit the burial period to 15 years. Bodies are then dug up and either cremated or interred in small plots to save space in the case of Muslims and other groups whose religions require burials. ~ ~ Singapore's environment agency says most people are choosing cremation over burial, with the proportion rising from 66 percent in 1992 to 80 percent in 2011. ~ ~ Ang Jolie, funeral director at Ang Yew Seng Funeral Parlour, said the need to remove the body after 15 years is the main reason why many of her customers opt for cremation.~ ~ Choa Chu Kang Cemetery Complex is the only cemetery in Singapore still accepting burials. On 1 November 1998, the NEA implemented a policy to limit the burial period of all graves to 15 years, due to a shortage of space in the cemeteries. After being buried for 15 years, graves are exhumed and the remains removed. If the religion of the deceased permits cremation, the exhumed remains are cremated and stored in government columbaria niches; otherwise, the remains are re-buried in smaller individual plots. ~ In the days of British rule, the number of Chinese burial grounds in Singapore increased very rapidly and the colonial government had little power to control burial spaces because it did not possess sanctions of sufficient strength. ~ *The local authorities began to view these cemeteries as hazardous sources of disease-causing vectors such as mosquitoes, as well as a form of land waste.* There were urgent demands on space in land-scarce Singapore in the name of national development. In the words of E. W. Barker, then the minister for law, environment, science and technology, "The needs of Singapore's young population must require the use of sterilised land, for the economic and social good of all citizens of Singapore." ~ In the 1965 Master Plan, which was designed to guide land-use development in Singapore, cemeteries were identified as land "considered available for development", and cremation was mooted as a viable option to deal with the exhumed bodies from these burial grounds, and as a way to dispose of people who died. To encourage the population to adopt this relatively new way of treating the dead, the state employed the help of "funerary middlemen" who could erode the distrust of cremation because they were respected for their knowledge of death rites and disposal. ~ *In addition, the rallying cries of national development, the common good, and the country's future were used to encourage the populace to take up the idea of cremation and to abandon their insistence of traditional burial grounds.* ~ In 1972, the state made it clear that it would close all cemeteries near and around the city area to "conserve land". ~ As an alternative means of managing the disposal of the dead, the state offered burial space at a state-owned public cemetery complex at Choa Chu Kang, *although it made it clear that it considered cremation as the only viable long-term option.*

Hart Island, Lake Lanier. The older I get, I can’t believe places like this still exist

Wouldn't it be easier to cremate them and do an a building cemetery like what you'd see in some Asian cities? Also, if the family is found, they can pay to take the urn and that spot can be used for someone else.

*Most western countries are switching from burial to electric cremation* The cremation rate in the United States has been increasing steadily with the national average cremation rate rising from 3.56% in 1960 to 53.1% in 2018~ *The cremation rate in Canada has been increasing steadily with the national average rate rising from 5.9% in 1970 to 68.4% in 2009.* ~ ~ Cremation rates in the Nordic European countries vary from Norway's 36% to Finland's 51%, Sweden's 70% and Denmark's 76%. In all countries the cremation rate in large towns is generally between 70% and 90%.~ ~ Cremation remains a minority practice in rural France where burial places are available, but is increasingly common in urban areas. In 1979 just 1% of funerals involved cremation: in 2012 it was 32%, rising to 45% in Paris.~ ~ Similar trend is happening in UK, Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand.

I live on the island to the left on the map, city island, and apparently body parts from hart island would wash up on the beaches on city island every now and then but it was a while ago. There's some type of beauty to hart island, how rustic it looks. I know there's people on the island that are living still but it's almost like it hasn't been touched in the almost 200 years all that's been there. There's a song by a band called the moldy peaches, NYC's like a graveyard. It's one of my favorite songs by them and thinking about hart island that song fits perfectly.

Shoutout to all of the "forgotten" souls buried here, and Roderick and Anita Perry.

Nice footage dude!

I actually learned about Hart Island through Pose strangely enough

I worked for NYS parks for 8 years. Unfortunately not anymore, but if/when they get their hands on that, they will completely transform that place into a beautiful, inviting area.

Your journalism skills are just absolutely mind blowing, you inspire me to run a medical journalism channel

These people seem to be eradicated at the size of their tomb from the community, but, some of them are still not forgotten to be buried at the core of their loved ones' hearth.

Remember that someone back in 2020 said "it was just a flu"?

Wow, this video taught me so much. Looking forward to seeing the positive ways Hart Island will change under NYC Parks.

What a great video vox! Little Big stories like this often go unheard

I've been within a 100' of there because they won't let you on the island in its real creepy, like really creepy. Building falling apart, just the history of how many different uses it had, now its just basically a cemetery there's like billions of bodies buried on this little tiny island it's just haunting

Man, a cities' police department being one of the causes of a problem a city is facing? I'm absolutely shocked. /s

I love stories like this so much. That's life at its core, most humane aspect it could be. As the US is escaping the horrors of Covid-19, these stories featuring the dark sides seem off, but still very much relevant to the lives of those amazing but often marginalized people in New York society. Thanks Vox for bringing this to worldwide audience like us. I really appreciate it.

Fun Fact: *The cremation rate in the United States has been increasing steadily with the national average cremation rate rising from 3.56% in 1960 to 53.1% in 2018* ~ The cremation rate in Canada has been increasing steadily with the national average rate rising from 5.9% in 1970 to 68.4% in 2009.~ ~ Cremation rates in the Nordic European countries vary from Norway's 36% to Finland's 51%, Sweden's 70% and Denmark's 76%. In all countries the cremation rate in large towns is generally between 70% and 90%.~ ~ Cremation remains a minority practice in rural France where burial places are available, but is increasingly common in urban areas. In 1979 just 1% of funerals involved cremation: in 2012 it was 32%, rising to 45% in Paris.~ ~ Similar trend is happening in UK, Netherlands, Australia, and New Zealand.

The first time I knew about Hart Island was a depiction of it in Pose FX. It was such a heavt scene to watch because of all the loneliness and pain

Cremation is neither more efficient nor ecologically friendly. Natural decay burial- where the remains are not infused with a preservative like formaldehyde and is interred in a biodegradable casket- is the best way.

Very good video! Love when you guys do local issues like this and international stuff!

Love your videos :)

Thanks vox team for such detailed research!!

Great video👍👍

this makes me remember how much I preferer cremation than burial at some point we will run out of burial places.

I live in New York City and I've never heard of Hart Island this is incredible and I'm going straight down the rabbit hole cuz I want to find out everything about it

Imagine someone after 1000 years dig here

Very moving. Thank you.

the saddest part in life is sometimes when dying alone, and nobody remembers you anymore.

Rename it to *HEART ISLAND* and build a giant red heart. Like The Bean (Cloud Gate) in Chicago

such a well done video, so informative. acknowledging the collective grief would go a long way

Americans think of cemeteries and burial grounds too taboo. It's sad.

I love this kind of content

You did such a great job explaining. Thank you!

"How this New York island became a mass grave" I thought you were referring to Manhattan.

I would rather let mushrooms decompose my body naturally. Returning my body back to the earth.

They should make hart island park-like (similar to a typical cemetery) and open it up to visitors.

Great video, lived in nyc for 20 years and never heard of hart island. As a nyc unión carpenter I’ve worked at Roosevelt and randles island and knew a little history from both their past, but didn’t know what nyc currently does with bodies now. The cemetery’s now are super full and people pay outrageous prices for a plot. Glad to see there is somewhere else for these people.

I am a Korean herb farm. I learn a lot from watching videos. I wish you good farming and good health and happiness. 영상잘보고갑니다. 유투브도 승승장구하시길 응원합니다

I lived in NYC my whole life and have literally never of this island before. Very informative Vox

It reminded me about the movie called "The Saint Of Fort Washington" starring Danny Glover and Matt Dillon,. It photographs the reality and makes further sense of this episode. Thanks for sharing as always love your publications.

This was very touching. I hope NY can heal. ♥️🗽

Vox, you guys are amazing.

OF COURSE it can be changed. 1-Make every burial a natural grave 2- Plot a couple trees per person 3-Name those trees according to person buried underneath 4-Rename the island in place for the largest ‘human forest’ in the world

Good luck friend 👍

Another quality vid from vox, you guys rocks

Isn't this like the perfect trope for a thriller/fantasy/horror story? Waiting for someone to use it...

Heart breaking that they'll only let family members recognized by law claim someone's body. Roderick clearly left paperwork indicating that he saw Anitta as his next of kin, even if he didn't have the knowledge to realize that he should have had her made legally his next of kin. (I don't know if New York inherently has fees for this one. If it does, that's another systemic barrier reinforcing traditional family structures). Something for everyone to think about. Who is your legal next of kin? Do you have one? Would you trust them to make medical decisions while you're unconscious, arrange your funeral, or raise your kids?

Wow 1 million people... That’s a lot

This really made me care. Thank you

I learned a out this island from the Michael Douglas & Brittany Murphy movie called Don't Say a Word. It was really haunting and I never forgot it. I'm so glad to hear that NYC is fixing it up properly. Maybe one day I'll get there to see it.

I think I might get buried on hart island to stand for all those that were forgotten ❤️

Vox could you make a video about Myanmar and what international world could do to help them?

Vox is awesome 👏🏼

Imagine how haunted this place is

Hart island kinda embodies the new American ideals, where those who have power are remembered, and those who have little to nothing are forgotten (especially minorities)

😢 so sad!!!!!!

Never knew any of this. Very intriguing and sad info!

Wow!

Thank you Pose s2X1