Family members said they have been denied access to visit their loved ones' resting place in a Cheatham County cemetery.
The Bell Town Cemetery is an African American Cemetery that has been around since the emancipation, and it's a Cheatham county cemetery one family's attorney said they've been denied access to.
"Access is being denied. The descendants of those buried in the cemetery by an adjacent land owner," said Allen Brown, J. Allen Brown PLLC.
The entrance to the cemetery is gated, and draped in barb wire. It is also covered in signs warning trespassers of guard dogs, and surveillance cameras.
However, the owner of the property told NewsChannel 5 anyone is welcome to visit the property.
Joe Townsend said the issue comes when those visitors hang out on his property.
On Friday, deputies had to escort the Joyce family into Bell Town Cemetery for fear of confrontation, a problem they've been dealing with for the last 10 years.
"It's terrible and we were out there Friday and we had family members who haven't been on site since 2009," said Brown.
Even with deputies on site, Townsend didn't want the visiting family on his property.
"This car right here is on my property. They haven't had this surveyed off yet. They need to have it surveyed off before they can come back here," Townsend could be seen saying in body camera video.
A family who just wants to visit their loved ones final resting place, is hoping they can make the trip without the trouble.
"It took 2 squad cars and two deputies just to get access on Friday, it's terrible it's a terrible thing," said Brown.
The Joyce family had plans to sue for not only access to the graveyard, but also civil rights violation claims.
