Over 1 million people buried in this country, expected to open to the public

A mile long, on Hart Island they were buried for more than 150 years unidentified bodies, the poor, the dead during birth and those who had died of AIDS. It is one of the largest public cemetery in the United States.

It is often referred to as “

Visits to relatives allow only two days a month, media are allowed to come only twice a year, accompanied by prison officers. AFP reporters have recently gone on such a tour.

I don't want anyone to tell me when I can visit my child's last resort. I want to go whenever I want, “said Elaine Joseph, 65, for the French news agency.

Her daughter Tomika had only a few days when she passed away in January 1978, after she was born prematurely. Joseph was not allowed to visit her grave until 2014.

But soon, the retired nurse will be able to do it every day after President Bill de Blasio signed the island's opening order.

Hart Island, located north of the Queens district of New York, became a cemetery since 1869 after the city bought land from landowners to bury its unidentified and poor inhabitants there.

More than a thousand dead, including strangers, are buried there every year. Adults are buried in vertical blocks from three each, and children up to five coffins.

The coffins are numbered, unappointed, so there are no tombstones. There are small white tomb markers all over the island.

The New York City Council decided last month to remove prison control on the island. In the future, it will be managed by parks, and activists have welcomed the decision. The council also announced the deployment of daily transport lines.

Activists have defended greater access to the cemetery for three decades. Among them is Melinda Hunt, who has helped many family inmates, including Joseph, to locate loved ones.

Her daughter passed away during a snowstorm blocking New York City. She did not reach the hospital, and the city buried her child on the island because of chaos.

New York authorities allowed their first visits to the island in 2007, although access was limited and involved not only the cemetery.

Following the trial, entrance to the cemetery was allowed in 2015 but under controlled conditions and specific dates.

After transferring jurisdiction to the park department, which is expected in 2021, Joseph hopes that he will finally be able to set a flag named after his daughter, birth date, and a small dedication.

“I want this to be a cemetery like any other”, the retired nurse said.