Mayhem for MLK in 2006
Of the St. Louis American
A few days before the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend began, the American received an invitation to a “Celebrate The Dream” party at Zack’s Lounge on the city’s North Side. It invited revelers to enjoy a good time and “stiff drinks” while celebrating the legacy of the late Dr. King.
A few of us chuckled and wondered aloud what Dr. King would have to say about a Saturday night saloon celebration in his honor.
Three days later, I was convinced that the good people at Zack’s might have had the best idea.
The following is not an indictment of any MLK event in the St. Louis area; it is just a synopsis of how some St. Louisans and visitors honored the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this year.
Let’s start with the MLK Kickoff event at Harris-Stowe State University on Jan. 7.
I will always be honored to have received an MLK Award, along with some of the leading citizens and journalists in St. Louis. Thank you, Dr. Henry Givens Jr.
But the evening was marred when Johnny Furr Jr., a vice president at Anheuser-Busch Cos., was introducing keynote speaker Andrew Young.
A woman suddenly stood up and began yelling, “Don’t touch me again! I’m sick of it. She hit me in my back. Don’t touch me!”
Apparently, someone had repeatedly asked the woman to sit down and then touched her at some point. So much for peace in Dr. King’s name. The woman went off.
She had to be physically removed by security personnel. Furr was noticeably off his game during the introduction. When a balloon popped on stage during the altercation, I – and most of the audience – cringed with sudden fright.
This was just the first of many an odd MLK moment.
As in past years, American reporters fanned out across the region to cover MLK events during the holiday weekend.
During the annual MLK Civic Ceremony at the Old Courthouse on Monday, MLK Parade Grand Marshal Judge Mablean Ephriam of TV’s Divorce Court didn’t speak of love and non-violence. She used the bully pulpit to rip the Adam’s Mark Hotel and whoever has the audacity to schedule an event at the St. Louis hotel.
Ephriam visited the city several years ago with the National Bar Association and said her experience with the hotel was “one of the most racist experiences of my life.”
Her call for a “black-out” of the hotel were met with thunderous applause and cheers from the crowd – which included countless blacks who still visit the Adam’s Mark Hotel and book events there.
American reporter Kenya Vaughn was scheduled to cover an MLK Power Conference at the Adam’s Mark – but she ended up down the block at the Pavilion Hotel, because the venue was mysteriously changed just before the event. Funny how that worked out. Maybe Ephriam was blasting off on the Adam’s Mark before Monday.
Once people found the right location, they must have lost the charitable spirit that Dr. King said all Americans must share. Vaughn said “emotions and sensitivity were off the charts” during the MLK Dream Conference Mizzou Power Panel Discussion.
Following introductory statements by panelists, including Omar Tyree, Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay and Ephriam, moderator Sylvester Brown, a Post-Dispatch columnist, immediately came under attack from the audience.
Brown had said black drug dealers are examples of the genius housed within the black community.
Oops.
Author and television producer Lyah Beth LeFlore accused Brown of monopolizing the microphone and suggested in combative terms that he let the panelists and guests get a word in edgewise.
As the audience applauded her, an unassuming elderly man jumped up and shouted expletives at Brown before telling him, “Mr. Brown, your analogies are inappropriate. You don’t compare a drug dealer to an entrepreneur. He’s a predator.”
A young man walked in and seized the microphone and shared a cheerful outlook on the black community.
“We don’t have hope,” the young man said.
“We need to get the black man back into the household, and we need to stop talking about what we need to do and get out here and do it.” After making his comments, he quietly walked out.
Another young man, apparently frustrated at not having his chance to disrupt, began making outbursts that seemed directed at Congressman Clay. He blamed politicians for the black community’s plight and said some should be removed from office.
Clay reacted like he was hurt and said, “Like, I’m the only politician in St. Louis?”
Tyree, feeling obligated to settle people down, said, “When we’re dealing with our people, the patience has really run out, particularly with young people. I wanted to say, ‘Calm down, brother.’”
Ephriam said, “When I look at the state of Black America, it saddens me. If Dr. King was here today, I think he would say, ‘I’ve lived my life in vain.’”
Dr. King would probably also say that people need to stop watching ridiculous shows like Divorce Court.
An American reader shared a letter with us via email, first thing on Tuesday morning, that chastised the Gateway Classic Foundation and the MLK Basketball Shootout at Vashon High School on Monday.
Writes Kendra Holmes of St. Louis, “I was appalled at the lack of organization and lack of security at this event. Ticket holders were made to wait in line for hours in the rain. In addition to the long wait, several fights occured which were not controlled by security. In fact, the few security officers that were visible did nothing to control the crowd or establish order. After standing in the rain for an hour, I left without ever being allowed into the building.”
The event was split into two sessions, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Unfortunately, according to American Sports Editor Earl Austin Jr., one of the games went into overtime, leaving hundreds of people in the rain.
“It was raining hard, too,” Austin said.
St. Louis was not alone in its odd behavior on behalf of Dr. King.
In New Orleans, a parade intended to show unity and support for the city’s rebuilding on Sunday, Dr. King’s actual birthdate, was marred by violence when shots rang out and three people were wounded.
What Dr. King would find most alarming about this weekend in St. Louis is the fact that many black people showed little regard for one another. The chance of African Americans really “overcoming” will be on hold until we overcome the animosity we have for our own people.
Which brings me back to Zack’s Lounge. I’m told it was a great night. People had fun. People showed each other respect. There were no fights, shootings or intolerant behavior.
Maybe, just maybe, we could all learn a lesson from this weekend and have a Zack’s frame of mind when MLK Weekend 2007 rolls around.