"Hijacking Of King's Dream" Via Faux Protectionism Of "His Portrait Upon The Wall"

I happen to live in Metro Atlanta.  This is a city where on September 13, 2010 a Black couple who was pumping gasoline into their car had 27 shots pumped into the vehicle at a Texaco station..................on Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd.  The father was murdered.  The pregnant mother bearing twins was shot in the hip and forced to deliver her children at 6 months.  The 5 year old child was shot in the foot.  The 8 year old sibling witnessed it all and is likely scarred for life after having watched her father murdered right before her eyes.

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As the nation's eyes are pointed toward the carnage in the aftermath of the gun violence triggered by one deranged man in Arizona - there was NO organized effort at social activism (or political opportunism) as this "Murder on MLK" transpired.   Simply put - "Right victim, Wrong assailant" for any traction.   Those who take full advantage of the aligned stars are are silent when the conditions don't fit.  They merely hope that the story blows over, wishing for the days that when a "Black on Black" murder report was the size of a classic "classified ad".

In Atlanta the most deadly streets for Black people don the names of various "civil rights heroes"

• Dr King Blvd - who fought to change the law so that Black people would not live in terror as enacted by racist attacks upon their person
• Rev Joseph E Boone Dr - Civil Rights hero and pastor
• Rev Joseph E Lowery Dr - Civil Rights leader, Poverty advocate and Democratic party operative
• Hamilton E Holmes Blvd - Integrated the University of Georgia
• Ralph David Abernathy Dr - Civil Rights leader, Long time preacher in a powerful church

Many of these streets (and a few others) were renamed.  The memorial to the "Confederate Generals" that used to flight high upon the street sign post were removed and replaced with "Black heroes".  We were told at the time that the sight of their OPPRESSORS upon the pole had a depressing effect and lead to the carnage that we see.  The community bought into the name change and the leadership smiled at the ribbon cutting ceremony, knowing that several generations of people will "benefit" from their works.

The Protectionism Of "The Portraits Upon The Wall" More Than The Honor Of The Spirit

The issue of "respect" for these scared places named in memoriam to these historic greats has a peculiar implementation standard.  While those who transact their criminal mischief on these grand boulevards are never called out for soiling the "hallowed grounds" - the enforcers against all slights otherwise - doggedly protect various holidays, public parks, images or speeches made by these greats.   In short the "self appointed" see their mission as the protector of "the portrait upon the wall" and the insurance that all who are in eye shot "remove their hats" 

• The notion that MLK Day will be used as a school day to make up for past "snow days" has riled up the Black Establishment leaders in Charlotte North Carolina.  It appears that not only does the NAACP of NC demand that at least one White kid be placed in every class room with Black students - they seek to enforce time off for that hallowed 3rd Monday for every January, some other holiday must be "disrespected" instead.
• This comes on top of the abject fear that is being expressed by the NC NAACP that the program that insured that no Black child would "suffer" from the injury of having to attend the school that is closer to his house, where he might not see any "White kids" in the room with him would stunt the educational growth of these students.   Marshall and King fought for more equal educational funding and against the purposeful denial of admissions to Blacks who met the residency requirements.  Today's NAACP seeks to have Black students drive past their local schools onward to a "White school".
• In Minneapolis MN - the thought of leveraging the MLK Park as a "dog park" is drawing outrage and charges of racism.  Allowing dogs to roam free on this public park, the owner possibly jogging behind it and receiving exercise is a misappropriation of this "sacred ground".
• Quote: ’This park was dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King,’ Mays said. ’The only association with dogs is Bull Conner set the dogs on the marchers.’
• In Cyberspace there is a Black Blogger Understudy who appears to "defend" the legacy of Dr King from a hijacking, yet is blind to his own misappropriation and molestation of the King legacy on a continuing basis.   During King's time the Black community suffered from the complicit silence of the community who saw our people being terrorized and they said nothing.  Today the same complicity takes place - allowing Black people to be murdered and assaulted at numbers greater than average. As with their White counterparts who were complicit in the past - they too stay silent today for want of protection of the assailant from prosecution in the criminal justice system.