Page A4
December 15, 1999
¿The fkurilarò ©baeruer
(JTb»tru»r
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Established 1970
P
C
h ie f
,
u b l is h e r
C harles H. W ashington
E
d it o r
Larry J. Jackson, Sr.
C
opy
E
d it o r
Joy Ramos
B
u s in e s s
M
anager
Gary Ann Taylor
C
r e a t iv e
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ir e c t o r
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o fs u c h a d C 1996 T H E P O R T L A N D O B ­
SERVER
ALL
R IG H T S
E arl O i ari H l k
hinson
io r T hk P ortland O aSL&vtK
STA FF
in
counsel to fully investigate the King
assassination.
That investigation w ould have to start
w ith the F B I. It still has not answ ered
many questions about the secret w ar
it w aged against K ing from the late
195O’s to the day o f his murder.
A ccording to volu m in o u s public
docum ents released to researchers
and governm ent investigators, FBI
director J. Edgar H oover and the
Justice D epartm ent relentlessly tried
to tie King to the Com m unist party.
The assault on K ing was m ore than
H o o v er ac tin g o ut his p ara n o id
obsessions against a m an w hom he
considered a dangerous subversive,
it w as a w a r a g a in st the b la c k
movement. A nd H oover decided that
the cheap and dirty w ay to win that
w ar w as by discrediting the m ost
respected and adm ired sym bol o fth at
movement.
M any o f those dirty tactics em ployed
by FBI agents against K ing are now
w ell know n. They deluged him w ith
w ire ta p s, p h y sic a l su rv e illa n c e ,
p o is o n - p e n
le tte r s ,
th r e a ts ,
harassm ent, intim idation, and sm ear
sexual leaks to the media.
D u rin g its in v e stig a tio n o f th e
assassination, H oover claim ed that
the FBI did not find a single fact to
in d ic a te a n y c o n s p ira c y in th e
assassination. Ray was the man and
the FBI slam m ed the book on the
case. It w as the “ lone nut” assassin
theory repeated again. T here’s, o f
course, no p ro o f that the FBI or other
governm ent agents killed King. But
the ferocity o f the F B I’s secret w ar
against him and the m any questions
the FBI probe did not publicly answer
about Ray ’ s travels, his possible links
to w hite suprem acist groups, and
conservative business groups in the
South, and the role o f governm ent
agents that were at o rnearthe Lorraine
M otel the day K ing was killed have
created deep public suspicions that
Ray d id n ’t act alone. A nd w orse,
these sam e unansw ered questions
have left ju st enough w iggle room for
conspiracy theorists to have a field
day trying to unravel secret plots,
co v er-u p s and finally blam e the
governm ent for killing King.
T he M em phis ju ry d id n ’t really
u ncover any hard p ro o f that the
g o v e r n m e n t, r a c is t g ro u p s , o r
o rg an ized crim e figures d irectly
issu e d o rd e rs to k ill K in g . A n
independent probe, how ever, m ight
at least allay som e o f the lingering
much to answer
about K in g ’s
murder
USPS 959-680
d it o r
(The J lo r t la n b (D b a e ru e r
Honor Martin Luther King, Jr.
Still no proof of
government conspiracy by performing acts of kindness
for 2000 King Holiday
Yet FBI has
®lje
sportiani»
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E
Articles do not
necessarily reflect or
represent the views of
Opinion
fio rtla n h
RESERVED,
R E P R O D U C T IO N I N W H O L E O R I N
P A R T W I T H O U T P E R M IS S IO N IS P R O ­
H IB IT E D .
The Portland O b server-O reg o n s Oldest
M u lb c u ftu n l P u b licatio n -is a m em ber o fth e
National N e w sp aper Association- Lounded in
18S5.and The N ational Advertising Represen­
tative AnadgamaSedPuWishets. Inc. N ew Y o i k
N Y , and The W est Coast Black Publishers
A saocab on-S erving Porthndand Vancouver
The conclusion by a M em phis jury in
a civil lawsuit brought by the family
ofM artin Luther King, Jr. that he was
the victim o f a contracted hit seem ed
to vindicate those who have long
protested that King was the target o f
a vast conspiracy by organized crim e
and the governm ent. O ne o f those
w ho has worked the hit victim angle
especially hard is arch conspiracy
b uff and form er attorney for Jam es
Earl Ray, W illiam Pepper.
The M em phis ju ry bought his claim
that Ray w as a Lee H arvey O sw ald-
type patsy and that the order to kill
King cam e from organized crim e
figures. T he m ost dam aging charge
by Pepper was that two teams o f arm y
s n ip e rs lu r k e d o u ts id e K in g ’s
M em phis motel room the day he was
killed and they also had orders to
open fire on him.
Before his death in 1998, Ray probably
did m ore than anyone else to stoke
the conspiracy flam es by scream ing
that he was fram ed and recanting his
guilty plea. W'hen these allegations
w ere set against the backdrop o f the
F B I’s decade long w ar on K ing and
suspicions that it d idn’t tell all in its
investigation o f the assassination, it
w as m o re th an en o u g h to send
conspiracy theorists rushing to the
barricades. But despite the M em phis
verdict they are still rushing to the
w rong barricades. The evidence is
ir r e f u ta b le th a t R a y w as th e
triggerman. His fingerprints w ere on
the alleged m urder weapon. He was at
the crim e scene and he confessed to
the murder.
O ver the years Ray told different
people different things about his
activities and w hereabouts at the time
ofthe murder. T hat’s w hy his protests
o f innocence and fram e-ups a quarter
century afte r he m urdered K ing
alw ays so u n d ed like those o f a
loathsom e, an d d isc re d ite d m an
desperately thrashing around to salve
his conscience, grab m edia attention,
d o u b ts a n d s u s p ic io n s th a t
governm ent agencies d id n ’t tell the
com plete truth about K in g ’s murder.
But even this still w ouldn’ t be enough
to absolve the FBI o f its disgraceful,
destructive, and illegal cam paign
against King. The climate o f suspicion
and hostility it created tow ard the
civil rights movement made it possible
forRay tomurderKing. And ultimately
the FBI still m ust share som e o f the
blam e for that.
Earl Ofari H utchinson is a nationally
syndicated colum nist and the director
o fT h e N ational A lliance for Positive
Action. em ail:ehutchi344@ aol.com
and cash in on the notoriety o f the
case.
The K ing fam ily and those w ho
sincerely w ant to get to the truth
about the King murder would be better
served by publicly cam paigning to
lift the fifty year seal im posed by a
federal court in 1977 on FBI wiretaps
and surveillance data gathered on
King betw een 1963 and 1968. If the
courts refuse then public pressure
should be put on A ttorney G eneral
Janet Reno to increase the scope o f
its m uch too lim ited investigation she
ordered at the behest o f the King
family and appoint an independent
Letter to the Editor
B\ M
a k i in
L
uther
K
in g
My father w ould have celebrated his
71“ birthday in the first m onth o f the
new M illennium.
W hile I d id not have the chance to
work by his side, through his action
and his w riting I have learned the
lessons o f a lifetim e that kindness
and ju stice are the foundations o f a
noble life and that individuals can
change the w orld.
M y f a th e r h e lp e d le a d th e
M ontgom ery Bus Boycott in 1955
because h a w as in sp ire d by the
courageous act o f one w om en who
stood up for the dignity o f all people
by sitting dow n at the front o f the
bus. R osa Parks challenged A m erica
to honor its b elief that all people are
created equal, and she proved that
individuals could change history.
T h e b u s b o y c o tt p r o v e d th a t
everyone could participate in building
a movement. It was a million small, yet
pow erful acts - including a year o f
w alking to w ork and m arching for
justice - that touched the hearts and
m inds o f people across the nation.
I w ould like to invite educator and
students across A m erica to carry my
father’s legacy into the new century
by participating in the third annual
Do Som ething K indness and Justice
ch allenge, an in n o v ativ e school-
b a s e d le a d e rs h ip p ro g re s s th a t
encourages student in grades K-12
to perform A cts o f K indness (helping
others) and ju stice (standing up for
what is right) for two weeks following
the 2000 M artin L uther King, Jr.
the p o te n tia l c le a n -u p co sts. I f
polluters are no longer responsible
for the toxic w aste they produce, there
is no incentive for not producing
more.
Congress is also considering another
toxic w aste clean-up bill at this time.
H.R. 2956 is in fav o ro f strengthening
Superfund legislation, making the
clean up o f these sites m ore possible.
I fyou w ould like to see the Willamette
R iver and Superftm d Sites cleaned
up properly and the expense o f
polluters, I urge you to check out
these bills on 1 ine and to contact your
re p re s e n ta tiv e s a n d v o ic e y o u r
opinion.
Send
Letters to the
Editor
to
Just think; Your son
is b rig h t, h e a lth y
a n d h e a d e d fo r
college one day You
love the direction your
career has taken. You're doing a lot of the things you planned
and even a few you didn't. Living life to the fullest is easy when
you
Dear Editor,
Before Congress w ent into recess in
N ovem ber, a couple o f bills were
p ro p o sed
th a t w o u ld
s h if t
responsibility o f toxic w aste clean up
at the S u p erfu n d S ite from the
profiting polluters to the taxpayers
w hile low ering clean-up standards.
The W illam ette River, w hich runs
through the heart o f Portland, is one
o f the five m ost polluted rivers in the
nation and is currently on the verge
ofbeing designated a Superfund Site.
I w ant to see the riv er properly
c le a n e d - u p a n d th e p a r tie s
responsible for polluting pay the tab.
U n fo rtu n a te ly , R e p re s e n ta tiv e s
Blumenauer and weaken clean-up and
the parties responsible for supporting
H R. 1300andH.R. 2580,thebills that
w ill n o t o n ly w ea k en c le a n -u p
standards, but burden taxpayers with
w ill receive national recognition and
are eligible to w in prizes.
2000).
Educators can register for the 2000
Each day during the tw o - w eek
Do Som ething K indness & Justice
e d u c atio n in itia tiv e , m illio n s o f
C h a lle n g e o n th e I n te r n e t at
students nationw ide w ill leam about
w w w .dosom ething.org or by calling
values o f responsibility, com passion,
Do Som ething at 212-5231189. Each
h o n esty , n o n v io le n ce and m oral
teacher w ho registers will receive a
courage w hile perform ing A cts o f
free E ducator G uide w ith an age-
K indness and Justice in their schools,
appropriate curriculum , instructions
hom es and com m unities. In its first
two years, more than 2 million students . for posting A cts o f K indness and
Justice on the Internet and incentives
from 25,000 schools perform ed Acts
to encourage student participation.
o f K indness and Justice to keep my
"Through the Do Som ething Kindness
father’s dream alive. Judy from Venice
& Justice Challenge, young people
High School in Los A ngeles collected
acro ss A m erica are p u ttin g into
clothing to help the hom eless in her
practice the ideals to w hich m y father
neighborhood. C assandra from Utah
devoted his life. If students com m it to
visited a friend w ho was terminally ill;
one day o f kindness and justice, then
hugging her and helping her do things
they can com m it to a week ofkindness
she co u ld n ’t do by herself. Sarah
and ju stice- a w eek becom es a year, a
from Altus Middle School in Oklahoma
year becom e a lifetime.
helped her pack supplies for hurricane
B y standing up for our beliefs and
victim s. These young people show
ta k in g a c tio n to im p r o v e o u r
how individuals can make adifference
com m unities and nation, we w ill help
w hen they choose to take personal
m ake m y father’s dream o f equality
action to im prove their com m unity.
and ju stice a reality.
E very school in the nation is invited
to participate. For two weeks, teachers
spend approxim ately 15-25 m inutes
each day teaching the virtues o f
kindness and justice. Students w rite
d o w n th e ir in d iv id u a l A c ts o f
K in d n ess an d Ju stice , and each
sc h o o l p o s ts th e ir A cts o n D o
S o m ething’s interactive w ebsite -
w w w .d o so m eth in g .o rg - keeping
track o f their com m unity-building
e ffo rts a n d sh a rin g sto rie s and
P.O. Box 3137
e x p e r ie n c e s
w ith
s tu d e n ts
P ortland O r. 97208
nationw ide. Schools without Internet
access can subm it their A cts by mail.
T op perform ing students and school
N ational H oliday (January 1 7 - 2 8 ,
III
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