James Earl Ray Possessions return to the Scene of the Crime

Continuing The National Civil Rights Museum's policy of projecting images of violence to its visitors (of which the vast majority are schoolchildren) the NCRM have now taken delivery of 23 boxes of evidence, kindly donated by Shelby County District Attorney Gen. Bill Gibbons.

Visitors will then be able to view such items as the Remington 30.06 rifle (which was never proven to be the actual murder weapon) bullet fragments from Dr. king's suit jacket, Dr. King's discarded gum wrappers, even the windowsill from Bessie Brewer's rooming house. The more ghoulish tourists will be denied the opportunity to view items such as Dr. King's clothing or the autopsy photographs, as these items have been returned to the King family, whom I feel sure will exercise a greater degree of respect to the memory of Dr. King.

Museum Curator Manager says "...we can chronicle a part of history none of us will ever forget." This of course is the major problem, how can we look forward, whilst we spend so much time and money looking back and reveling in this shameful chapter of our violent past. We can never truly do justice to the legacy of Dr. King by following his examples of non-violence and equal rights while institutions such as this glamorize death and forget about the living. The $8 million must be put to better use. Serve others, help the disadvantaged. Surely the most suitable gesture would be to destroy all of these items, leave the past behind and move on.

Many people are concerned that the National Civil Rights Museum will rapidly become a center of pilgrimage for Klansmen and racists, paying homage to the rifle which may have extinguished this bright light of freedom.