More city leaders and activists are deciding to reject an invitation from the mayor’s office to attend the city’s 29th Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Breakfast.
On Tuesday, South Side pastor Corey Brooks announced on social media he will not be attending the event this Friday. “I pray that all my Pastoral Friends do the same,” he wrote.
Bishop James Dukes will also not be attending, saying: “I don’t think that it’s time for us to have this Kumbaya breakfast without having a sit-down talk.”
“We’re not entertaining any of the mayor’s efforts to pacify,” said activist Jedidiah Brown, who also turned down the invitation. “We don’t want breakfast, we want justice. We don’t want pancakes and eggs we want resources.”
Each year, the mayor's office invites city leaders to a ceremony and breakfast to reflect on the accomplishments of MLK and acknowledge his impact on American history. However, many this year say the mayor’s actions stand against the civil rights pioneer’s message.
“If Dr. King was alive I’m very confident he wouldn’t attend this breakfast,” Brown said.
Bishop Larry D. Trotter, Bishop Tavis Grant and Bishop Dukes will hold a 9:00 a.m. press conference outside City Hall on Wednesday to announce a boycott of the breakfast. Additionally, demonstrators will be present at the breakfast itself in an attempt to block guest from entering the event at McCormick Hyatt Hotel.
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When asked about the boycott, the mayor's office issued a statement that didn't address the controversy. It stated: "The Mayor looks forward to joining faith and community leaders on Friday to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King."
The mayor faces intensifying calls for his resignation, largely sparked by the city’s handling of the Laquan Mcdonald case. Emails recently released by the city noted that last April in the draft of the settlement with the teen’s family, attorneys for his estate argued they did not agree to what the city asked for -- hiding the dash cam video for years.
The mayor has pledged reform and recently called for the city’s law department to be probed after a federal judge accused a former top city attorney of hiding evidence in a fatal police shooting.