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Editorial: Alert police, city workers save spirit of MLK Day
Spokane police wasted no time Wednesday morning when an abandoned suitcase was reported at Sprague Avenue and Cedar Street. They summoned the bomb squad and closed several surrounding streets.
The incident proved harmless, though, the contents nothing but clothing.
An overreaction? Hardly.
Only two days earlier a catastrophe appears to have been averted, thanks to the alertness of three Spokane Public Facilities District workers and law enforcement’s professional response in the hour before a downtown Unity March celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s achievements.
If the workers who spotted a suspicious-looking backpack on the march route that morning hadn’t taken it seriously, and if authorities hadn’t reacted as promptly and purposefully as they did, Spokane could have found itself on the nation’s front pages, Tucson-style. Innocent citizens could have been killed or maimed. And fear could have gained an upper hand over civic spirit and human rights.
FBI officials say the backpack contained enough explosives, plus shrapnel, to cause multiple casualties. It was situated along the announced parade route and was positioned in a way to direct the force of the blast in the direction of those marching past. It reportedly was rigged to be triggered remotely.
It’s impossible to ignore the intimidating effect a successful act of terrorism could have had on future attempts to honor civil rights in this community.
But the bomb squad and a robot were deployed. Roads were shut off. Nearby buildings were evacuated. And the backpack was exploded under controlled conditions.
Amazingly, a deadly plot was thwarted, but the parade wasn’t. It stepped off anyway, although on a revised route, and King’s dedication to nonviolence was commemorated in a more dramatic way than any of the participants might have foreseen.
We like to see this as a victory for sanity and decency over cowardice and hatred.
The Inland Northwest has had more than its share of racial strife and tension. Time after time, however, infestations of bigotry have been overcome by citizens who rallied around a prevailing respect for freedom and equality.
Monday could have become a day recalled for sadness and loss. Instead it was a day of triumph over hate and ignorance. It will take ongoing vigilance to make that triumph last.