Judge Halts Removal Of 95 Bodies From FBISD Construction Site

SUGAR LAND, TEXAS — The remains of nearly 100 victims of the Sugar Land Convict Lease Program discovered during a Fort Bend ISD construction project earlier this year is expected to remain at the site, officials announced Monday.

Fort Bend County District Judge James Shoemaker ruled on Monday that the remains of 95 African American, along with artifacts found at the construction site earlier this year, would remain where they were unearthed.

The ruling was made after attorneys from the Black United Front appealed to Shoemaker that relocating the remains would jeopardize efforts to conduct DNA testing, and would desecrate what man in the organization consider a sacred site.

The ruling halts an agreement between the Sugar Land City Council and the Fort Bend Independent School District to move the remains to the Sugar Land's Old Imperial Prison Farm Cemetery, located at 6440 Easton Avenue.

READ ALSO: Sugar Land-FBISD OK Agreement To Relocate Historic Remains

Construction crews uncovered the remains of nearly 100 victims of the convict lease program during the construction of the James Reese Career and Technical Education Center, with the first 20 victims uncovered on Feb. 19.

The convict lease program was common in many southern states in the years following the end of the American Civil War in 1865. Often freed slaves were arrested and used as free labor.

Construction of the CTE center will remain halted until more information can be presented to Shoemaker’s court on the disposition of the remains.

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