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Tag: Flint City Council

  • Flint funeral home goes quiet after judge orders release of Councilman Mays’s body

    Flint funeral home goes quiet after judge orders release of Councilman Mays’s body

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    City of Flint

    Flint City Councilman Eric Mays.

    A judge ordered a funeral home to release Flint City Councilman Eric Mays’s body to his only son Monday, but that didn’t happen.

    Mays’s son Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays arrived at the Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home in Flint on Monday evening with a hearse, expecting to move his father to a new funeral home in Saginaw.

    But no one was at the Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home, and its attorney refused to comply with the order, Mays’s lawyer Joseph Cannizzo tells Metro Times.

    A man who answered the phone at the funeral home declined to comment Tuesday morning.

    Mays’s son filed a lawsuit last week against the funeral home and his four siblings last week. The lawsuit accused the funeral home of holding Mays’s body “hostage” by refusing to turn it over to the son. The lawsuit also alleged Mays’s four siblings conspired to seize control of Mays’s body and profit from “their fraudulent scheme” by soliciting donations from the community for funeral services.

    Judge Brian S. Pickell of Michigan’s 7th Circuit Court said the son, as next of kin, had the right to make funeral arrangements, not Mays’s siblings.

    After the ruling, Mays arranged for the body to be transferred to the Paradise Funeral Chapel in Saginaw.

    Mays, a passionate and sometimes combative councilman and TikTok sensation, died at his home on Feb. 24 but didn’t leave behind a will, according to the suit.

    The suit alleged that two of Mays’s siblings lied to the Genesee County Medical Examiner’s Office by saying the councilman had no children. A third sibling, who is an employee of the funeral home, falsely claimed that he had legal authority to authorize the release of the body, the suit claimed.

    Mays’s son also filed a lawsuit against city officials on Friday, claiming they engaged in “a cruel act of retaliation” by withholding information about his father’s insurance benefits.

    Flint officials countered that the city could not turn over the information because Mays did not list a beneficiary with the city’s insurance companies. When no beneficiary is designated, “the policy is payable to the Employee’s estate,” Flint Human Resources Director Eddie Smith said in a statement, citing the city’s benefit policies.

    City officials said they are awaiting a probate court to designate a personal representative of Mays’s estate.

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    Steve Neavling

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  • Legal battle halts funeral plans for late Flint Councilman Eric Mays

    Legal battle halts funeral plans for late Flint Councilman Eric Mays

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    City of Flint

    Flint City Councilman Eric Mays.

    The siblings of deceased Flint Councilman Eric Mays cannot move forward with a funeral for their brother this week amid a lawsuit over who has the rights to his remains, a judge ruled Thursday.

    The decision comes several days after Mays’s son, Eric HaKeem Deontaye Mays, filed a lawsuit that alleges the Lawrence E. Moon Funeral Home in Flint is holding his father’s body “hostage.”

    The lawsuit accuses Mays’s four siblings of conspiring to unlawfully seize control of the former councilman’s remains and profit from “their fraudulent scheme” by soliciting donations from the community for funeral services.

    Judge Brian S. Pickell of Michigan’s 7th Circuit Court declined to make a final decision on the lawsuit because all four of Mays’s siblings have not yet been properly served. But Pickell said the siblings cannot hold a funeral until further notice. The judge also said Mays’s son has a right to view his father’s body.

    “Though I am disappointed that this dispute will continue, I believe we are one step closer to giving my father the proper funeral service and burial I know he wanted,” HaKeem Deontaye Mays said in a statement. “I am anxious to see my father’s remains to ensure he was properly cared for by the Moon Funeral Home since the day he passed away. I would like to thank everyone in the Flint community and across the country who has supported me while I’ve been forced to fight the kind of fight no son wants to have to fight after losing his father.”

    The judge recessed the hearing until Monday.

    “We are hopeful that when we are before Judge Pickell again this coming Monday, March 11, we will be able to resolve this dispute in favor of our client and begin preparations to lay the late Councilman to rest,” the son’s attorney Wayne Pollock said.

    Mays, a passionate and combative councilman and TikTok sensation, died at his home on Feb. 24 but didn’t leave behind a will, according to the suit, which claims only his son has next-of-kin rights to handle the remains.

    The suit alleges that two of Mays’s siblings lied to the Genesee County Medical Examiner’s Office and said that Mays had no children. A third sibling, who is an employee of the funeral home, falsely claimed that he had legal authority to authorize the release of the body, the suit claims.

    Now the funeral home is refusing to turn over Mays’s body to his son, even though Eric Mays provided the company with the required documentation to release the remains to him, according to the suit.

    Mays’s son is asking the judge to order the release of his father’s remains to a funeral home that he chooses.

    Mays was a popular and quarrelsome councilman who often posted his clashes with the council on his TikTok channel, which had more than 220,000 followers. His followers appreciated his unfiltered advocacy for Flint residents.

    First elected to the council in 2013, Mays was one of the first public officials to voice concerns about the water crisis that began in 2014. While other state and city officials downplayed the crisis, Mays was an unwavering advocate for residents.

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    Steve Neavling

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  • Outspoken Flint Councilman and TikTok sensation Eric Mays dies

    Outspoken Flint Councilman and TikTok sensation Eric Mays dies

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    City of Flint

    Flint City Councilman Eric Mays.

    Eric Mays, a passionate and combative Flint City Councilman and TikTok sensation who became one of the most outspoken supporters of residents during the water crisis, has died, city officials announced late Saturday.

    Mays was 65.

    His cause of death wasn’t immediately clear.

    First elected to the council in 2013, Mays was one of the first public officials to voice concerns about the water crisis that began in 2014. While other state and city officials downplayed the crisis, Mays was an unwavering advocate for residents.

    During council meetings, Mays’s passion often manifested as combativeness as he clashed with others on the board. On more than a few occasions, police escorted Mays out of council meetings for clamoring with his colleagues.

    In December, Mays was suspended from the council for 90 days for making “constant frivolous motions” and using “racist rhetoric,” according to a council motion. Mays planned to file a federal lawsuit against the council, saying the suspension violated his First Amendment rights and left his constituents unrepresented.

    In January 2023, Mays called other Black council members “handkerchief-head Negros,” “Uncle Toms,” and “Sambos.”

    Mays often posted his clashes on TikTok, where he garnered more than 220,000 followers who appreciated his unfiltered advocacy for Flint residents.

    click to enlarge Human rights activist Sam Riddle (left) with Flint City Councilman Eric Mays. - Courtesy of Sam Riddle

    Courtesy of Sam Riddle

    Human rights activist Sam Riddle (left) with Flint City Councilman Eric Mays.

    Sam Riddle, a longtime friend and supporter of the councilman, says Mays was popular among residents because he zealously fought for them.

    “Eric Mays raised hell and irritated people, but his behavior moved leadership and mis-leadership up the ladder of consciousness one rung at a time,” Riddle, political director of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, tells Metro Times. “He had a unique ability to make people angry because he was so right analytically, so people would hate on him rather than take on the issues he raised. Like the rest of us, he had personal flaws, but they paled in comparison to his astute political abilities.”

    The Lento Law Group, which represented Mays in numerous legal matters, said the councilman stood up for his residents when no one else would.

    “We are heartbroken by the sudden, tragic death of our client, Councilman Eric Mays,” Lento Law Group wrote in a statement to Metro Times. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends, and constituents. Councilman Mays was a man devoted to public service. His unrelenting advocacy on behalf of his constituents gave them a voice in a government body that often seemed interested in silencing voices that did not agree with the majority.”

    The law firm added, “We will continue to fight for those constituents and the City of Flint in Councilman Mays’ name and memory, including against those individuals whose gracious statements concerning his passing stand in stark contrast to the actions they took against him while he was a public servant. Rest in Peace, Councilman Mays.”

    Flint Mayor Sheldon Neely, with whom Mays often clashed, spoke warmly of the councilman in a written statement.

    “This is a tremendous loss for our community and a shock to all friends and family,” Neeley said. “As our community grieves during this difficult time, on behalf of Councilman Mays’ family, we ask that community members respect their privacy and allow them time and space to mourn. We continue to lift the family in prayer.”

    Citing Mays’s “bold and courageous service,” city officials said in a statement that the flag at City Hall would be lowered to half-staff in his honor Monday.

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    Steve Neavling

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