1:00PM, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2006
St Ann’s Episcopal Church, 419 Woodland Street, 5th & Woodland – East Nashville
While part of Tara Cole’s family will be celebrating her life in Elgin, Illinois, the family has asked the Nashville Homeless Power Project to organize a memorial on the same day at the place of her death in Nashville, Tennessee. Family and friends will be there to celebrate her life and grieve her loss. Community members are also invited to attend to recognize her life and remind us that we are all responsible for ensuring that our brothers and sisters have safe places for shelter and housing.
Tara Denise Cole, died at the age of 32 on August 11, 2006. Tara was born on November 25, 1973 in Humboldt, Tennessee. At 7 months old she moved to Elgin, Illinois and attended Larkin High School in Elgin.
Tara loved music and writing. She wanted to write plays and poetry. She was a very special person, loved all people and hated discrimination. In a letter to her mother Tara described herself: “I am a strong willed, extremely warm and open hearted, intelligent human being. Unfortunately, I’m a victim of this unchanging world”. So, I have to struggle just to be myself”.
Tara’s mother, Pearl Cole shares: “Tara always wanted to change the world. She cared so much about people and the injustices of life. She wanted so much to make a difference.”
Tara was survived by her parents, Dewitt and Pearl Cole of Elgin and Darryl Boyd (Carole) of Indianapolis, Indiana; her brothers, Rahman Cole of Elgin and Eric Boyd of Indianapolis, Indiana; And a host of Aunts, Uncles, Family and friends from Elgin Ilgin, Illinois, Humboldt, Tennessee and Indianapolis. Tara was preceded in death by her maternal grandmother, Ruthie Pearson of Humboldt Tennessee.
Such a heartbreaking story! I’m sad and I’m completely outraged. So many cold and calloused people out there in this hate-filled world.
Thanks for the info. Sadly I had not heard a thing about this yet. I took the memorial info and put it on my site as well. Hopefully the word will get out and lots of people with caring hearts and love to share will show up to help comfort the family & friends.
I’ll be praying….
RYC on my site: (In regard to the letter to Bush) Yeah, I actually ran across it originally on someone else’s Xanga site and immediately thought “Whatever. This can’t be real.” So I googled it and found the WP article along with numerous others proving the validity of it. Pretty insane, huh?? At that point, I HAD to post it. KWIM?
If u really loved her so much, then why was she allowed to be homeless???This tragedy could of been prevented if her very own family was not so indifferent towards T..I’m so sick and tired of familes like this one that moan and groan when a relative dies, but for some unearthly reason does nothing to prevent it;it makes me sick….
kimmy,
thanks for stopping by and commenting. I hear your concern and can understand why it disappoints you.
From what I know having been to some of the memorials and gotten to know the story a little better, Tara had some mental issues which she needed medication for. She at times choose not to take the medication, and possibly because of that, or simply her desire to be free from it’s constraints, she choose to live on the streets rather then under the shelter of her family. The issue we are morning isn’t that Tara was homeless, though that is something I’m concerned about and think we should do everything we can to provide everyone with a home. However, I think the real tragedy is that someone would treat another human as worthless and do something as inhumane as pushing them into a river while sleeping.
Tara is my cousin and we grew up together. Our family is very close. We did not “allow” her to be homeless. Tara had a home “SEVERAL”!!! Being the person Tara was she lived that way by her own free will. I think before you judge the love of one’s family you make sure you know the entire story! It disgusts me that somone would think we “moaned and groaned” about the death of a love one as if our grief wasn’t sincere. One comment made by this person was correct her death was truly of tragedy, but there is no one to blame but the evil heart people that caused her death.
How dare you judge this family? Do you have any exprience with mental illness & the people who are dealing with this awful illneSs & the stigmatizum related to people suffing from mental illness? people with mental illness have the right to refuse treatment if they are not harmful to self or others! The familys, hands are tied!!mentally ill pt make the mistake of stopping their medication because they “feel better” not understanding that they’re feelin better because of the medication!! Not to mention the cost 4 mentally ill pt. To remain compliant with psych meds! Side effect, ect.. This family is heart broken their hands are tied. There needs to be cont. Education, housing, founding,support regarding the mentally ill! Blame the monsters that did this to her not her fam! And the people in office that can make a change the mentally have rights as well advocate for them they are people too!!
I have two mental disabilities and I face an excessive amount of st6igmatizium in the neighboorhood and people are just so arrogant, miserable, and always full hatred and especially when it come to us.
People like us don't get any credit because we have problems that most people are misinformed about us and we are treated very badly by people who say terrible things about us that i'd rather not even say they are such haters it's ridiculous that these haters are such bullies what the hell makes
them better than us we are still human beings and we deserve respect, credit, and recognition for
Our abilities to try to recover and move on with our lives we are soooo very disrespected and it's very
wrong to rub our ilnesses in their faces and think we don't have feelings my family is in denial of my
illnesses and they don't respect my choices for treatment as far as medication, treatment sessions in my group therapy, and psychatrist sessions they don't agree with these forms of treatment and I agree
with them it's NOT their choice it's mine not they's.
i kno i dont kno yall but my name is tara cole to