It’s Elvis Week in Memphis, commemorating the late singer’s death 39 years ago, and Black Lives Matter is using the popular occasion as an attempt to “Shut Down Graceland” — to them, a reminder that Elvis Presley was a wealthy white man.
Often criticized for appropriating and profiting from black music, Presley “demonstrates one of Memphis’s most common forms of financial inequality,” according to BLM leaders. Memphis is a hotbed for BLM because of its connection with the death of an unarmed black teen. Fox News reports that Darrius Stewart was killed by Memphis officer Conner Schilling last year after Stewart attacked the officer during a traffic stop.
Protests and mass demonstrations were planned for Monday evening and “will be the third high-profile protest in the area by Black Lives Matter and other groups in the last month,” states Fox. Groups are congregating near Graceland and have been blocking traffic.
Frank Gottie is a community leader in the city and he doesn’t think Mayor Jim Strickland is being fair to BLM requests to hold demonstrations.
“They had 30 days to respond, but they responded right before Elvis Week,” he said. “Elvis Week must be really important, because I got a lot of phone calls. Homeland security and everybody. [They said] don't go to Elvis more than 20 deep, you can't go there. But how they going to say that when it's welcome to the public?"
