The Memphis demonstration that turned violent, the month before King's

[raccoon]

assassination, I've read somewhere that there were people involved in that demonstration who were planted there to cause trouble. Anybody else know about this?

[H2O Man]

1. Sure.

That is well documented. Information on it is available in all of the good biographies of King.

At the time, Martin was planning the "Poor People's Campaign." The disruptions in the first march in Memphis was part of a program to discredit Martin, and to provide cause to deny him the right to bring poor folk to Washington, DC. (The federal laws on the right to public assembly are far more restrictive than on free speech; King lost the USSC case on Montgomery, for example.)

[ColbertWatcher]

2. Good question, but...

...I have to say I'm sorry I know so little about this.

All I can remember is that he went to memphis to help with a strike.

And now I can't remember which strike...I feel so old and forgetful, like John McCain...

[ljm2002]

7. See this link for information...

...on the strike in Memphis:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3103988

[ThomWV]

3. Hoover

[TTUBatfan2008]

4. Effing Hoover...

Dude's name should not be memorialized at the FBI building. He was a racist and a McCarthyist with an agenda.

[H2O Man]

5. See William Pepper's book

"Orders to Kill" (pages 9-10, 61 and 130 in particular).

Pepper also points to Mark Lane's book ("Code Name Zorro") in which MPD officer Edward Redditt spoke about the way King's police security was removed by orders from outside the city; and about how a gang (the Invaders) was infiltrated by an undercover police officer and an intelligence officer who served as agent provocateurs.

[raccoon]

6. Thanks for the heads up. I'll look into it. nt