Comments on: Morning Metro: MLK Photo Tour of Atlanta, Image Issues for DeKalb, and a Cat’s 200 Mile Trek http://www.decaturmetro.com/2013/01/21/morning-metro-mlk-photo-tour-of-atlanta-image-issues-for-dekalb-and-a-cats-200-mile-trek/ Decatur Georgia News, Events, Atlanta News Mon, 04 Nov 2013 13:41:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Melissa Forgey http://www.decaturmetro.com/2013/01/21/morning-metro-mlk-photo-tour-of-atlanta-image-issues-for-dekalb-and-a-cats-200-mile-trek/#comment-343368 Melissa Forgey Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:34:03 +0000 http://www.decaturmetro.com/?p=25865#comment-343368 If you would like more detail on the two separate DeKalb County arrests of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., please read the article written by our former archivist, Ben Zdencanovic in our Winter 2010 newsletter.

http://dekalbhistory.org/documents/Winter2010Newsletterwebsite.pdf

The Civil and Criminal Court referenced in the article was located on the second floor of what was called the DeKalb County Building. It was at 430 N. McDonough with a side entrance on West Trinity and has been torn down.

]]> By: Eric http://www.decaturmetro.com/2013/01/21/morning-metro-mlk-photo-tour-of-atlanta-image-issues-for-dekalb-and-a-cats-200-mile-trek/#comment-343290 Eric Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:56:15 +0000 http://www.decaturmetro.com/?p=25865#comment-343290 I enjoy Mr. B’s trips down memory lane. We have only been in Decatur (and in the Atlanta metro area) 13.5 years, so it’s fun to read about how, to use his phrasing, “old Decatur” used to be. Keep the stories coming, Chris. I’m learning a lot about this great town in which we live.

]]> By: Chris Billingsley http://www.decaturmetro.com/2013/01/21/morning-metro-mlk-photo-tour-of-atlanta-image-issues-for-dekalb-and-a-cats-200-mile-trek/#comment-343172 Chris Billingsley Tue, 22 Jan 2013 01:19:55 +0000 http://www.decaturmetro.com/?p=25865#comment-343172 Martin Luther King’s connection with Decatur? I recently talked to a good friend of the DeKalb judge that heard the probation violation case which led to King’s four month prison sentence. He told me that contrary to reports, the judge said he and Kennedy had a pleasant conversation over the phone concerning the case and that there was never any doubt that King would be released. I believe the judge was Oscar Mitchell and that he lived here in DeKalb until the late 1980s. He was quite a historical figure!
It would be interesting to find out where the case was actually heard and if possible, where the players in the drama stood or sat during the trial. Did King walk up the front, back, or side stairs of the building? Are there any pictures of King in Decatur? Is there a trial transcript?
I believe the only monument (loosely speaking) to this event is a brick in the south courtyard of the old courthouse dedicated to Martin Luther King.
Most people living here today have no idea what it was like in old Decatur, with segregated neighborhoods, playgrounds, water fountains, schools, and restaurants. I was just a small boy but I remember vividly one of the signs of segregation, “Colored Only” water fountains at the courthouse. One of the great adventures for me was going with my mom to a home near the projects where she would drop off the Catholic school uniforms to be ironed (in the early Sixties, my mom had six kids attending Catholic schools- thats a lot of uniforms!). I would help carry one of the huge baskets of damp shirts, pants, blouses, and skirts onto sagging old porch that was full of, well just stuff! I remember seeing a young woman in the living room ironing clothes and watching T.V. Another woman, quite friendly as I recall, would exchange pleasantries with my mom and take my basket and we would go. A few says later, we would go back and everything would be on hangers and ready to wear the next day. Can you imagine anything like this taking place today?
Happy MLK Day Decatur!

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