`As I was reading Dr. Martin Luther King’s Jr. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”  I couldn’t help but wonder why he was so upset with these men. Then of course I read “A Call for Unity” and it all became too clear. I have some serious problems with the content of this letter. First of all they start letter appealing for law and order and common sense, and properly peruse matters in legal courts. While in the meantime, peacefully obey their decisions. This same letter goes on to imply the unrest in Birmingham rest solely on the so called rabble rousers or outside influence. They urge black leaders to keep their negotiations in house. And last but not least this letter goes on to praise the Birmingham police department for handling the demonstration led in part by Dr. King, peacefully and calmly.

            This call for law and order and common sense is in reality a call for compliance, sit back and wait, be patient. This is all fine and dandy if you personally are not being discriminated against. The reality though is all black people in Alabama, not just Birmingham, but all of Alabama are being oppressed by segregation. Sadly the men that wrote this letter are the same white moderate Dr. King speaks of when he said in his letter “Over the passed few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen’s Councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to “order” than to justice. What King is saying here is the white moderate promises help in the struggle, but when the time comes they retreat to the safe confines of the churches walls and stained glass windows.

            On another note these same men call for the black leaders of Birmingham to keep matters of their negotiations with in the community. They don’t want outside influence or rabble rousers to be involved. The hard facts are that Birmingham at the time was probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the U.S. The courts of Birmingham were grossly unjust to the black community. The black citizens of Birmingham endured horrible brutality in this southern city. When they did get an audience with the cities white leaders, promises were made by merchants to remove humiliating racial signs. As weeks and months went by it became apparent they were lied to. So all in all so called outsider, were a necessity, not a whim. The phrase outsider brings me King’s statement “Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never considered an outsider within its bounds.

            In their infinite wisdom these so called men of god found themselves obligated to praise the news media and the police department. I believe as does King they might not be so inclined to praise the police had they seen what he saw. Like old women and young girls being pushed, or the old men and young boys being slapped and kicked. I’m sure they would have no praise for police when they let their angry dogs sink their teeth into six unarmed, nonviolent Negroes. Of course that could be because the news media did such a fine job of editing the nightly news. I know myself the demonstrators were hit and knock back by high pressure water hoses. How peaceful is that? In closing I would like to mention that one of these men of god is Rabbi Milton L. Graffman, wouldn’t you think he might know a little something about hate and oppression?