Kids made a snowman in the Garfield High parking lot before the annual march to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Monday. Despite the icy roads and freezing temperatures, thousands of people showed up to fill the streets for a march to downtown.
The theme of the day was “Recapturing MLK Jr’s Revolutionary Spirit,” and there was a fairly large Occupy Seattle contingent in the crowd.
The march went south on 23rd to Union and eventually Madison. We tweeted the as the march went through the neighborhood:
[View the story “MLK March 2012” on Storify]
In other MLK news, the King Center just released a bunch of letters and other papers. Check them out online if you have a couple hours.
I hate to start off with negative comments regarding a positive story, but I just can’t fathom the black hole of character the anarchists persist in shoving down everyone’s throats.
I’m not a believer in marches in general as they’re ultimately smugness-stroking excuses to yell obscenities in a mob that nobody gives a hoot about the next day, but in this case there appear to have been children, and I approve. These things make good impressions on kids when done for the right reasons.
But then throw in the anarchists and I’m pissed. These are the same people that graffitied “F— Starbucks” in Powell Barnett Park, at the entrance to the playground, and then told us we’d be better parents showing them this crap than telling our kids they could be successful business people some day (Starbucks being the stand-in for the evil empire, you see).
Here’s a concrete example of how excruciatingly idiotic and contradictory they are:
MLK powerfully utilized the tactic of non-violent resistance that was first pioneered by Ghandi in 1940s India. Now, what’s one of the more colorful memes you remember from the anarchist house on 23rd? That’s right, “F— Ghandi”. Oh. My. God. They. Are. Total. Freaking. Morons. You nice people should have kicked them out.
what anarchists. there were no anarchists at the mlk march. are you just running your mouth to hear yourself speak? so as long as there are children, your cool with it? great, fuck off you smug piece of shit. the MLK march is an annual march that has been going on for several years. Despite your ill-placed cynicism regarding the tactic of march-protest, MLK day demonstrates that poor people are still organizing for our rights. The point of the march is to canonize MLK’s legacy of struggle against poverty, not to extol the uselessness of “non-violence”. have you forgotten Malcom X? or is his legacy just not of importance to you? too militant?
Lucas, there was a group of self-identified anarchists at the MLK march. They carried some of the signage and messaging from the police brutality march a few days earlier. Some also had torches, which rubbed some people the wrong way.
Also, please try to avoid name-calling, everyone. More people will feel comfortable participating in this forum if things are not so intimidating and hostile.
you mean, stop name calling, like the other people on this site? or the personal allegations that are thrown around on this website but unidentified so called “locals”?
You’ll never get the moral high ground you so desperately think you deserve, Lucas, so just give up.
And of course I stay anonymous. I have a family and a home that I need to protect. You and your ilk have nothing to lose and you’ve proven over and over again that you’ll retaliate for perceived wrongs. Confronting you personally accomplishes nothing, since you only have ears for anarchy gobbledygook, so being some tough guy has no reward. Grown ups understand these things.
Why would anybody expose they’re identity to clearly violent (self imagined) militants. You guys are nuts.
I loved the torches touch. Wish I could have been here to see it. I was thinking of maybe having a similar rally. Torches and stuff. But it will be anonymous. To simbolize peace we will cover ourselves with white sheets and carry crosses. I’m sure everyone will feel safer.