King III rebukes justice system, war in speech

When Martin Luther King III strode to the podium at the Show Me Center Tuesday night he left his script behind. He warned the audience he was about to give a speech the likes of which they might not be used to. "The only risk in not using a written text is that I come from a family of Baptist ministers," said King. "So I'm going to preach to you here a little bit, and I'm going to try to get us out of here by midnight."

And preach he did; without fear of addressing controversial or provocative subject-matter, King held forth on the state of affairs in America as he sees them.

More than 900 people attended the annual event sponsored by Southeast Missouri State University celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

King said the criminal justice system is anything but just. "When a black child is arrested he's taken to jail, and when a white child is arrested he's sent home," said King.

King also spoke of everyday demonstrations of prejudice. Citing his time flying first-class, he said he often feels slighted by flight attendants, "A lot of times I sit in the first row, and when the flight attendant serves us, they usually serve the white folks on the other side first," he said. "What does that mean? Our society still has subliminal views on race. Now that's a small example, but there are real examples that hurt people everyday."

King held no punches and did not hesitate to use the event to talk about the war in Iraq. "We live in a nation that, unfortunately, is one of the greatest purveyors of violence on the planet," he said.

"We claim we're trying to create democracy [in Iraq] and that's good provided people want democracy," he said. "We remove a head of state because we said he's killed 200,000 people and guess what? We remove him, and now we've killed 200,000 people and we don't even know about it."

This manner of speech did not sit well with all those present. A number of people wriggled in their chairs and stared at their dinner napkins during the speech as others applauded loudly. Afterward, many who did not care to be quoted said they thought King's comments were not appropriate for the venue.

For others, the speech was a welcome bit of frankness on subjects usually handled delicately. "People were uncomfortable because it was the truth," said Southeast student Amber Walker. "The truth hurts. It hurts for us to see ourselves as we really are."

For student Shanta Johnson, King's discussion on minor racism hit home. "Prejudice in people is subconscious, but it exists," she said. "It happens to us all the time in the mall, where I'm followed around by a salesperson saying, 'Can I help you?' 'Can I help you,' every five minutes. It may seem like a little thing, but it wears on you when it happens all the time."

King also lashed out at United States positions on poverty, saying that large banks restrict loans granted to those in poorer or redlined areas. He complained that basic services and groceries are more expensive in these areas, which helps keep the population poor. "It's been 20 years since we've had a federal holiday for my father," said King. "But in 2006 in a nation with an inordinate amount of wealth, we haven't focused on the least of God's children...We still have the audacity to have 36 million people living in poverty," he said in a bellowing tone.

Dr. Loretta Prater was particularly moved by King's speech. Her son was killed by police officers two years ago, and the talk of injustice in the criminal system brought back difficult memories. "I don't have a subjective opinion on this because of what happened to my son," she said. "But I think we need to talk about these things. We need to have dialogue and not just sit here and pretend everything is great."

For his part, King seemed uninterested in catering to all those in the crowd. "It's important to take positions that are neither safe nor popular, but to take positions because our conscience tells us they're right," he said.

tgreaney@semissourian.com

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