BlogWood: MT Archives

Happy Birthday Dr. King

President Visits Atlanta

Several hundred protesters greeted President Bush Thursday as he laid a wreath at the tomb of Martin Luther King Jr. to celebrate the slain civil rights leader on what would have been his 75th birthday.

Some demonstraters pushed past the barricades set up by the Secret Service to protest Bush's brief visit.

Two people were arrested as some crowd members pushed toward the street in front of King's tomb, abandoning a designated area several hundreds yards away.

Authorities responded by parking three city buses on the street to block the protesters from the president's motorcade. Some protesters pounded on the side of the buses.

No one was injured and the crowd remained peaceful, dispersing soon after the president's 15-minute stop. Bush placed a wreath on King's grave before heading to a $2,000-a-head fund-raiser in downtown Atlanta.
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"We believe this is purely, purely political," the Rev. Timothy McDonald, president of the Concerned Black Clergy said. "That this particular visit has more to do with his fundraising and it just happened to be on Jan. 15. It is an insult to those of us who are committed to justice and an insult to those of us who believe in the life and legacy of Dr. King."

"He has the right to come, but there should have been some consideration on what's going on locally," said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, D-Atlanta. "That's quite insulting. This is not the appropriate way to honor Dr. King."

The MLK March Committee, a group of area civil rights activists who worked with King, has worked for months on a program at Ebenezer Baptist Church, across the street, which was planned to run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"They told us that the Secret Service wanted us out of there by 2 p.m.," said the Rev. James Orange. "We are not leaving the church."

Earlier this week, W announced a new space odyssey. He has vaguely said that this might cost, oh, $50 billion or so, but experts say $1 TRILLION is much more realistic. He has not actually budgeted any money, and he may never have to, as much of the costs are slated to happen well into the future. This proposal is widely seen as a shallow attempt to curry favor with space geek voters. It is full of holes, there is no way to pay for it, and W has never shown any interest in space before this.

A rat done bit my sister Nell with Whitey on the moon.

Her face and arms began to swell and Whitey's on the moon.

I can't pay no doctor bills but Whitey's on the moon.

Ten years from now I'll be payin' still while Whitey's on the moon.

The man just upped my rent last night cuz Whitey's on the moon.

No hot water, no toilets, no lights but Whitey's on the moon.

I wonder why he's uppin me. Cuz Whitey's on the moon?

I was already givin' him fifty a week but now Whitey's on the moon.

Taxes takin' my whole damn check,

The junkies makin' me a nervous wreck,

The price of food is goin' up,

And as if all that shit wasn't enough:

A rat done bit my sister Nell with Whitey on the moon.

Her face and arms began to swell but Whitey's on the moon.

Was all that money I made last year for Whitey on the moon?

How come there ain't no money here? Hmm! Whitey's on the moon.

Ya know, I just about had my fill of Whitey on the moon.

I think I'll send these doctor bills

airmail special....

to Whitey on the moon.

- Gil Scott Heron

Speaking of rat bites, current residents of Tampa’s Central Park showed up at City Council this morning to say that anything is better than their current conditions. What they don’t realize is that they wont be allowed back in to the nice new white neighborhood once they are moved out.

Why can’t the Tampa Housing Authority improve the living conditions right now? Are rat infestations unavoidable? Is the forced displacement of thousands of residents really the only way to cut crime? Of course these residents want something better. Unfortunately, they are likely to be dislocated right into an area just as bad as the one they are leaving.

Mayor Pam Iorio is backing the project, however, and the City Council voted to back her backing. This means that the city keeps negotiating with Ed Turanchik and his cohorts and that the Tampa Housing Authority will feel free to jointly apply for a HOPE VI grant with Civitas.

Mayor Pam Iorio recommended Thursday that the city and the Tampa Housing Authority move forward on the Civitas redevelopment proposal, but Hillsborough County commissioners voted not to act likewise until Iorio comes to speak with them. ......

Iorio's long-awaited public response to the Civitas plan unveiled more than a month ago was far from a full endorsement or detailed analysis.

The mayor simply recommended that the Tampa City Council vote Thursday to move forward with negotiations about the proposal.

The housing agency has been waiting for a city and county signal on the plan before deciding whether to apply jointly with Civitas for a $20 million federal housing grant.

More on Civitas.