#ReclaimMLK: how protesters are pairing Martin Luther King, present issues
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Noelle Swan Staff writer
Half a century after police wielding batons and tear gas blocked Martin Luther King Jr. and thousands of nonviolent protesters from leaving Selma, Ala., his words are buttressing a new generation of activists.
This Martin Luther King Day, protesters around the country are amplifying the hallowed echoes of Dr.聽King's words as part of a loosely connected string of #ReclaimMLK demonstrations protesting police violence and inequality.
The high-profile deaths of black men at the hands of police in Ferguson, Mo.; New York; and elsewhere have ignited this new generation of demonstrators. While some protests have resulted in violence and looting, the majority of demonstrations across America have drawn from King鈥檚 playbook of nonviolent resistance, with protesters seeking peaceful means to convey their anger at what they say is a culture of aggressive and violent policing of minority communities.
In Oakland, Calif., demonstrators assembled before dawn Monday in front of the home of newly inducted Mayor Libby Schaaf for what organizers are calling a 鈥減eople鈥檚 inauguration.鈥� The protesters say they are angry with Mayor Schaaf for spending her inauguration day with police who have a history of violence against minorities.
#WakeUpTheMayor protesters projected quotes from King on the mayor鈥檚 garage. Some demonstrators held up a sheet with the words, 鈥淚f we can鈥檛 breathe, we can鈥檛 dream,鈥� a reference to the final words of Eric Garner as he choked to death at the hands of a police officer on the streets of Staten Island, N.Y.
Bay Area protesters staged a series of marches throughout the holiday weekend. Four people were arrested Sunday evening during a police-escorted march, and another four people were arrested during a largely peaceful demonstration Saturday.
In Philadelphia, protesters planned to assemble in front of the main offices of the Philadelphia public schools Monday afternoon for a 鈥淢LK Day of Action, Resistance, and Empowerment.鈥� The MLK D.A.R.E. coalition posted a essay on the website Medium.com. The group鈥檚 demands include 鈥渇ully funded, democratically controlled schools,鈥� a $15-an-hour minimum wage, and 鈥渁 fully empowered, independent police review board.鈥�
鈥淲e must recognized what King called 鈥榯he fierce urgency of now鈥� and that 鈥榯ime waits for no one,' 鈥� MLK D.A.R.E.鈥檚 statement reads.聽
鈥淚t is time to break the silence about what Dr. King called the triple evils: racism, poverty and militarism,鈥� the essay reads. 鈥淣ow is the time! We are the ones. We, the people, are the leaders we have waited for.鈥�
In Minnesota, 2,800 people signed up to attend a #ReclaimMLK march Monday in the wake of the fatal shooting of Marcus Golden by St. Paul police officers Wednesday. Police say that Mr. Golden drove his vehicle at the officers and left them 鈥渇earing for their lives.鈥� Golden reportedly had a handgun within reach, but it remains unclear whether he had fired on the officers.
Other demonstrations have occurred in major cities around the United States throughout the weekend, beginning Thursday, King鈥檚 actual birthday. Additional marches are scheduled for Monday afternoon in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles.
鈥�聽This report includes material from the Associated Press.
