MARTIN WAS A KING – Portrait of Justice

MARTIN WAS A KING, NOT A JUDGE

BY C HUES

PUBLISHED 1/18/21

As we arrive on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this year, there seems to be an increasing confusion in much of the American consciousness as to who Martin Luther King, Jr. was. After a mob of terrorists invaded the Capitol building, vandalized government property, and physically assaulted and tortured several police officers, we now enter a day celebrating a man who stood for the antithesis of this assault. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a nonviolent Civil Rights leader, activist, and protester, but his image and legacy has been distorted and warped into that of the judge and jury of black America. When George Floyd was murdered by police, subsequent protests began throughout the country in response. Afterwards, some white Americans questioned whether Dr. King would support a protest that involved rioting (even though most protesters were peaceful).[1] Some African Americans have also invoked the name of Dr. King whenever black Americans believe that other black people behave in a disgraceful manner.

In James Forman, Jr.’s Locking Up Our Own, he discusses how an African American judge sentenced a black youth in Washington, DC (given the alias Brandon in the book to protect his identity) in 1995 to six months in juvenile detention for marijuana possession and firearm possession (his first arrest), and used Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy to castigate and patronize the boy: “[Y]ou can go to school, study hard, live your dreams. It isn’t easy—I know that. But it is possible. And people fought, struggled, and died for that possibility. Dr. King died for that, son.[2] The truth is that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s primary criticism was of the bigotry of white supremacists and the passivity and silence of white liberals.[3] Those same white people who smugly asked whether King would approve of African Americans rioting over police murders of black and brown people were conveniently silent when white terrorists flooded the Capitol. Whereas Black Lives Matter protests have been virtually universally peaceful, “protests” by white supremacists usually transform into violent and deadly affairs. Ironically, years after Brandon’s case, many of the white supremacists and terrorists who led an insurrection and assault against the Capitol faced less prison time than a black teenager who was arrested for marijuana and handgun possession.[4] A nonviolent drug and gun charge destroyed a black teenager’s life in Washington, DC, yet many of the white supremacists and terrorists who invaded Washington, DC and assaulted police faced less time than a minor who was charged with a first time nonviolent offense.[5] Martin Luther King Jr.’s criticisms were never historically directed toward the “Brandons” of America; instead they had always been directed to white supremacists; if King were alive today Donald Trump would most likely be a frequent target of said criticism. Trump provoked and instigated the assault on the Capitol, which is the latest attack in a series of hateful, racist, and violent incidents that Trump has engendered through his inane fabrications and copious, unsubstantiated prevarications (the most recent rooted out of baseless allegations of election fraud).[6] In King’s “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, the reverend mentions,

“[W]hen you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policeman curse, kick, brutalize, and even kill your black brothers and sisters with impunity…then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into an abyss of injustice where they experience the bleekness of corroding despair.”[7]

As one can see by King’s remarks, he vehemently opposed police brutality and violence; he would not be critical of Black Lives Matter protesters who also adamantly oppose police brutality. King would be dissatisfied with the racism and violence that is still carried out by some cops today, and he would be disgusted with President Trump and Bill Barr[8] ordering police to attack peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters for a photo op:

“When Attorney General William P. Barr strode out of the White House gates for a personal inspection early Monday evening, he discovered that protesters were still on the northern edge of the square. For the president to make it to St. John’s Church, they would have to be cleared out. Mr. Barr gave the order to disperse them. What ensued was a burst of violence unlike any seen in the shadow of the White House in generations. As he prepared for his surprise march to the church, Mr. Trump first went before cameras in the Rose Garden to declare himself “your president of law and order” but also “an ally of all peaceful protesters,” even as peaceful protesters just a block away and clergy members on the church patio were routed by smoke and flash grenades and some form of chemical spray deployed by shield-bearing riot officers and mounted police.”[9]

Trump surely and further proved himself the “Law and Order” candidate when he orchestrated a terrorist attack on the Capitol, leading his own supporters to attack police. Indeed, Trump frequently boasts that he is both a man of “Law and Order” and a deeply religious man, despite being accused of rape by numerous women and also admitting on tape about the copious rape and sexual assault that he has committed.[10][11] King was critical of hypocritical, white supremacist leaders such as Trump who considered themselves as both religious and complying with the law, stating “I have been so greatly disappointed with the white Church and its leadership…I have heard numerous religious leaders of the South call upon their worshippers to comply with a desegregation decision because it is law.”[12] These leaders discriminated against African Americans simply because of the color of their skin, despite the fact that white and black Americans are related, as substantiated by genetic DNA studies: “An estimated 82.1% of ancestors to African-Americans lived in Africa prior to the advent of transatlantic travel, 16.7% in Europe, and 1.2% in the Americas.[13][14] Martin Luther King, Jr. had Irish ancestry in addition to his sub-Saharan African ancestry,[15] yet he was regularly opposed by some white Americans who shared ancestors from some of the same places.

Ultimately, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who opposed white supremacy and police brutality; he was not the spokesperson for Black America or the judge and jury for how black people should act. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for the rights that black Americans were denied, and he stood against demagogues and leaders who used lies and fear. King denounced white supremacists who claimed to be religious and representative of “Law and Order”; politicians such as Donald Trump are the type of evil men that King would rebuke and criticize for their hypocrisy and bigotry.

[1] How Trump’s Idea for a Photo Op Led to Havoc in a Park.

When the history of the Trump presidency is written, the clash with protesters that preceded President Trump’s walk across Lafayette Square may be remembered as one of its defining moments. By Peter Baker, Maggie Haberman, Katie Rogers, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Katie BennerVideos by Haley Willis, Christiaan Triebert and David Botti. Published June 2, 2020. Updated Sept. 17, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/us/politics/trump-walk-lafayette-square.html?searchResultPosition=8

[2]https://www.google.com/books/edition/Locking_Up_Our_Own/3NEjDQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=locking+up+our+own&printsec=frontcover. Forman, James. Locking Up Our Own. p 4-6.

[3] http://okra.stanford.edu/transcription/document_images/undecided/630416-019.pdf. A Letter From a Birmingham Jail. p 9.

[4] Treat the Attack on the Capitol as Terrorism: Failing to do so simply because most of the rioters are white and regard themselves as “patriots” would be deeply unjust. Michael Paradis. January 17, 2021.

[5] Ibid.

[6] https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/14/politics/william-barr-out-as-attorney-general/index.html. Attorney General William Barr resigns.

By Allie Malloy, Devan Cole, Christina Carrega and Kevin Liptak, CNN. Updated 4:30 AM ET, Tue December 15, 2020. Trump tweets about Bill Barr’s departure from White House.

[7] http://okra.stanford.edu/transcription/document_images/undecided/630416-019.pdf. A Letter From a Birmingham Jail. P 6-7.

[8] https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/14/politics/william-barr-out-as-attorney-general/index.html. Attorney General William Barr resigns.

By Allie Malloy, Devan Cole, Christina Carrega and Kevin Liptak, CNN. Updated 4:30 AM ET, Tue December 15, 2020. Trump tweets about Bill Barr’s departure from White House

[9] How Trump’s Idea for a Photo Op Led to Havoc in a Park

[10] https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/13/politics/trumps-actions-increase-legal-jeopardy/index.html. Trump’s actions in last days as President increase his legal jeopardy. CNN Digital Expansion 2019, Kara Scannell

By Kara Scannell, CNN. Updated 9:38 AM ET, Wed January 13, 2021.

[11] https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/25/opinions/biden-harris-overturn-trump-strongman-misogyny-ben-ghiat/index.html.

[12] http://okra.stanford.edu/transcription/document_images/undecided/630416-019.pdf. A Letter From a Birmingham Jail. P .

[13] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/science/african-american-dna.html?partner=msft_msn. Tales of African-American History Found in DNA. By Carl Zimmer. May 27, 2016

[14] https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1006059. The Great Migration and African-American Genomic Diversity

Soheil Baharian,Maxime Barakatt,Christopher R. Gignoux,Suyash Shringarpure,Jacob Errington,William J. Blot,Carlos D. Bustamante,Eimear E. Kenny,Scott M. Williams,Melinda C. Aldrich,Simon Gravel

Published: May 27, 2016.

[15] The Social Life of DNA. Alondra Nelson. https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Social_Life_of_DNA/Xd7YCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Martin%20Luther%20King%20Ireland . p 160-161.