John E. was twelve years old at the time of the tragic event when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered. He lived in what is now East Memphis, on a street called Walnut Grove. Back in the 1960s, this area of Memphis was underdeveloped and Walnut Grove was a gravel road. This was the new part of Memphis; today's equivalent of Lakeland. In 1968, a typical day for Mr. E. consisted of going to school. He was in sixth grade at Shady Grove Elementary; the first graduating class at that school. His transportation to get to school was walking and riding a bike. Most days he brought his lunch from home but on the off chance that he had to buy it, it only cost about a dollar. His school day already seems far from normal than most children have today. Most kids are driven to school by their parents when they're in elementary and middle school and then drive their own car in high school. Today, Shady Grove Elementary is bigger but the field behind the school is still practically the same.
The day Dr. King was assassinated, emotions went wild. Mr. E. explained that he felt afraid, worried, shocked, and nervous about what was to come. Riots ensued, buildings were burnt to the ground. The whole city was in chaos. The most memorable experience after the assassination was watching as army tanks drove throughout the entire city of Memphis, from the Mississippi River all the way to East Memphis. Every Memphis Police Officer was on duty that night, and for many nights following. FBI agents and, presumably, CIA agents were in the city as well to watch over the city.
John was at home when he heard that Dr. King was assassinated. The way he was informed of the event was through the media, specifically the TV. The TV was black and white and John remembered that Mayor Henry Loeb was on every news station ordering the city under lockdown. No one was allowed to leave their house. Curfews were enforced. Sun up to sun down was the only amount of time people were allowed anywhere besides their home. If citizens were caught out past curfew, they were more than likely fined or put in jail. Memphians were only allowed to go to work, school, and back home during this time. Since John had only heard of Dr. King through the media, he did not know much about him other than that King was a civil rights activist. After Dr. King's death, blacks were treated better and as equals to white people. Some people's attitudes towards blacks were changed, treating them with more respect. But others remained unchanged, still believing that whites are superior.
Mr. E. also mentioned why Dr. King came to Memphis. There was a sanitation strike in Memphis during the 1960s. Sanitation workers wanted better pay for having to work with other people's trash. There was also a difference in the amount whites were paid for the job from the amount blacks were paid; blacks were paid less. Dr. King came to Memphis to help these workers gain compensation for their job. Memphis evolved during this time, unwillingly, but in need of this change; the equality of all people.