Here is what I said to the Burbank City Council for MLK Day
It is a rough draft and I added some things but it is one of the finest things I have written:
City Mayor..City Council City staff....
Thank you for once again honoring the memory of Dr Martin Luther King’s birthday.
On behalf of the Burbank Human Relations Council, which has encouraged this celebration for decades, I wanted to make a few brief comments.
However recent circumstances have changed my comments.
Once again, over the past few days, fliers from the National Alliance have defiled Burbank soil. This racist filth was distributed just up the hill. In four color I must compliment… they are getting better.
But it will have no effect here.
As Dr King once said “I have a dream that one day, one day little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
Well those children are now advancing to middle age and they have raised their children well.
One travels the world and sees other cultures but ….in their own way ….are the same.
It is here in Los Angeles County. The most different different different place on the planet that this kind of stuff of the National Allegiance will not stand.
We, here in Burbank, are part of a 10 to 12 million people community that has more races, ethnic groups, religious groups and the best tasting food in the world.
And it’s working! Crime is down is Los Angels County and, I wish to report to you, hate crimes are down even further!! Violent hate crimes are down even further.
We have a responsibility to be an example to our city, our state, our country and the world that so many different people can live together.
It was part of Dr King’s vision for America…. for us to live in harmony and justice and peace.
There is no other place I would rather live, at this hour, than right here.
I would like to call …..City Manager Mike Flad to the podium.
This Proclamation is precious. If you could arrange the Chief of Police to present it to Det. David Kleinfeld, our liason for hate crimes. He deserves this and is worthy of it.
See the video
Click on City Clerk
City Council meeting
MLK proclamation
http://www.ci.burbank.ca.us/