TARA COLE'S STORY
The Untold Chapter – excerpts from the HOMELESS POWER! Book
Tara Cole was a woman who suffered from mental illness, lived on the streets of Nashville, and was murdered by two white men on August 11, 2006; she was 32 years old. She was pushed into the Cumberland River at Riverfront Park as she slept under a blanket on the dock, and died by drowning. The Nashville Homeless Power Project immediately investigated and helped to identify witnesses. We tried to get city officials to expedite the search for her body, and found Ms.Cole's family. We then hosted a memorial in honor of her life. |
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Tennessean, 2006 11 09
Body's recovery too slow, report says
Tennessee Independent Media Center, 2006 11 09
Nashville Homeless Respond to Tara Cole Report
Tennessee Independent Media Center, 2006 08 17
Nashville Homeless Power Project Hosts Vigil for Missing Woman
Nashville Channel 4 WSMV, 2006 08 15
Homeless Drowning Victim Remembered With Vigil
Nashville Channel 4 WSMV, 2006 08 15
Vigil Held For Woman Pushed Into River
Nashville Channel 2 WKRN, 2006 08 14
Vigil Held for Homeless Murder Victim
Nashville Channel 2 WKRN, 2006 08 12
Police search for homeless woman after 2 men push her in river (AP story)
Nashville Channel 4 WSMV, 2006 08 11
Homeless Woman Thrown Into River
Tara Denise Cole 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. She loved music and writing and wanted to write plays and poetry. She was a very special person, loved all people and loathed discrimination. In a letter to her mother, Tara described herself this way: "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 shared the following: “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.”
What happened on the night of Tara Cole’s murder? A group of homeless folks were sleeping down at Riverfront Park, and at about 10:00 p.m. a couple of Metro Police Officers did their usual nightly sweep of the park asking that people move on. Because Tara was really tired she roused as people were leaving but decided not to leave. She said out loud to herself and to others around her that could hear, “I’m not leaving! There is no where else to go.” And she rolled back up in her blanket.
After most of the others had left, she remained on the dock by herself. There were only one or two other homeless folks hiding out of sight in their ‘special places’. The police did not come back through but two young men from out of town did. They had been drinking and decided to do something that has become a national trend—targeting and harassing homeless people for fun.
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They came upon Tara. They could not tell if she was a man or a woman, but they knew she was homeless. They were laughing as they kicked her—blanket and all—over and into the Cumberland River. They were chuckling to themselves as they walked off together after pushing a woman to her death. The unsung hero, a homeless man named Tim, jumped in and tried to save Tara but he could not get to her in time. Tim and other folks, many of us from the Homeless Power Project, vowed to stay at River Front until they recovered Tara’s body. Charles Strobel and Howard Allen led a group of mostly homeless people in nightly vigils until her body was found We will not forget Tara Cole. The NHPP’s biggest concern is that if Tara Cole had been provided with housing as she deserved then she would be less vulnerable to these dangerous situations. Her sweet face, with that red wool cap and long black wool coat, will forever remind our community that we do matter. We do feel and hurt, and bleed and go hungry, and are abused by strangers, and the systems that keep us oppressed. The stories, in plays, and a movie, about her life and her struggles are our own. We miss her, and we will not forget her. Thanks to her parents for allowing us to tell this last chapter. |
615-733-0633 | 42 The Arcade Nashville TN 37219 | Info@HomelessPower.Org