Martin Luther King Assassination
It was a glorious April 4th evening as Martin Luther King and hundreds of followers were gathering for a civil rights march. Many cheered on as the civil rights leader graciously out step on the second floor balcony of the Motel Lorraine. Roaring cheers rose from the crowd rose up as Martin Luther King stand there waving his arm with his heart warming smile waiting for the uprising taper off so he can continue with his speech. When suddenly a piercing blast broke the noise and the crowd 's cheerful spirit died. A cold chill went through all who were present fore in the back of their minds there was no doubt that their King had just been shot. Just what exactly happened on April 4th, 1968 at 6:01PM? Just how many sides does this story have? The events surrounding Martin Luther King 's death remain controversial to this day, after more than 30 years after the fact. The accepted story is a man named James Earl Ray was the assassin however, there are many contradictions to that conclusion. One must come to realize the accepted story is wrong, a cover up has deceived the public for over 30 years, James Earl Ray did not kill Martin Luther King; Martin Luther King was assassinated by a government conspiracy. To clarify the fact James Earl Ray is not an assassin one must look toward his reputation. James Earl Ray was born into a poor family and was the first of nine children. Being that some of his childhood was during the depression he probably was the type to fight for his own well being. In January of 1946 Ray joined the army. (Clarke 243) While in the army Ray sold cigarettes, drank, fought, and he was eventually discharged. From 1949-1959 Ray did many robberies and when, in 1959, he was finally caught he was sentenced to 20 years in prison (Clarke 244) Ray Later attempted escape in 1960, in 1966, and was successful on April 23rd, 1967. (Clarke 245) Ray, during this time never showed any serious acts of threatening or hurting anyone. (Clarke 244) So
Bibliography: "King Family Rebukes Report That Says James Earl Ray Acted Alone in King 's Death" Jet, Vol. 98 Issue 3, p.4. Ebsco. Online. June 26, 2000 Carter, Richard Lindop, Edmund, Assassinations that Shock America. Franklin Watts: New York. 1992 Melanson, Philip H., The Murkin Conspiracy; An Investigation into the Assassination of Dr Overbeck, Charles. "The Assassination of Dr. Marti Luther King, Jr.: An Overview." 1996. Online. Available http://www.parascope.com/mx/luther1.htm 17 Nov. 2000 Ragavan, Chita 6) Attempted escape, 1960, 1966 and succeeded 4/23/1967 (Clarke 245) 7) He never seriously hurt or threatened anyone until the assassination (Clarke 244)