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MLK march too short

I attended the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade along with over 1,000 others in Spokane. There were wonderful speeches, songs, poems and prayers. The crowd was inspired to build on King Jr.’s legacy to fight for justice, peace, respect and equal rights.

We heard statistics about the disproportionate incarceration of blacks, Native Americans and Hispanics in Spokane County and nationally. We heard about disproportionate race-based school discipline. Clearly, there is much more work to achieve King’s dream. That is why I was stunned and dismayed by the march around the block that followed.

The MLK Day march should be a real march, one that disrupts normal traffic flow, creates challenges to commerce and interrupts the rush of shoppers. The march should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. One block? Really?

When I read the headlines the next day I realized this day had been hijacked by the Spokane Police Department’s public relations team. The MLK Day march should be as long and challenging as the Lilac Day or St. Paddy’s Day parades. If the Spokane Police Department really wants to honor King’s legacy, hire officers who look like the community. And let the community have a real march in 2017.

JoAnn Kauffman

Spokane

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