Robbie: Where did you live um in 1968, and what was it like? Yeah
Dede: I lived near the corner of, well I was in the central part of Memphis, Poplar and Mertin which is close to Poplar and Parkway. Just recently married and we had our first baby. She was about 3 months old at that time.
Robbie: What stood out about living in Memphis in the 1960s?
Dede: In the 1960s Memphis was one of the best places in the country to live. Whenever I left Memphis and and on a trip or when I was on service it was soo nice to come back to Memphis. It was a very clean safe city and a friendly city.
Robbie: Describe your life in 1968, and what your typical day was like in 1968, school, work?
Dede: Well by then I was working I had just started my business, and got a new family, and my work entailed traveling all over in memphis every day to see my customers regarding to my new business. I never had any apprehension about going to any part of Memphis and remember I used to park my car, leave it unlocked, and in the summer actually leave my windows down. so thats a good indication of what memphis was in those days as I was mentioning before.
Robbie: How was it different from today?
Dede: from today? To start out with you always have to be aware of ah you ah and the people that are around you. You have to be sure and lock your car naturally, as you will notice in a parking lot every car is locked, every car the windows are up. Unlike back in the 60s also I have to carry things that would require a bag of some sort, I used to carry nice leather type bag. I had to quit doing that of course because I finally realised after getting my windows knocked out about 3 times when I’d park my car to go see a customer and I’d come back to see a broken window. I realized they were trying to grab the bad I was carrying which really nothing of value in it. So that was the beginning, now to this day I carry a raggedy old plain cloth bag. So when these people walk by and look in my window they just see this bag and I don't have my windows knocked out anymore.
Robbie:What do you remember about the day King was assassinated?
Dede: Well, I at first, it isn’t really interesting, I heard the police cars leaving the station, at the 100 north main building which used to be right across the street from the police station, There was a health club and I was in that health club, and at first when I heard the sirens I didn’t make much of it, because there were different types of emergencies, fires, or or you know any kind of routine emergencies, unbeknownst to me at that time or just after the moment that king had been assassinated.
Robbie: um ok, so what was different than normal and how did you feel, what did you think of it.
Dede: I’m not, I don’t, ask me the question again.
Robbie: What was different than normal at the time?
Dede: Oh, at that moment? Well at that moment we didn’t realize what what had happened, so everything was totally the same. I went home and ah afterwards ah when I got home naturally on the news you heard what had happened and ah from that moment on, Memphis was never the same. Because from one thing that moment on you were afraid of the riots which did ensue. You knew you knew what was going to happen and that was the beginning of a whole different atmosphere living in Memphis.
Robbie: And how did you react to the to the um..
Dede: I was concerned about riots, about I didn’t know if the rioters would come into our particular neighborhood. I had a gun that up until then the purpose of that gun was for sports. Since then the gun is thought of not only as for sports, but for self protection. So that from that moment on as I say things change. I made sure my gun was available if there was rioting in my neighborhood. And immediately made plans we were considering going out of town anyways, and when all this happened not knowing what the results of the riots would be, where they would be, I left the next morning with our new baby and we went up in west Tennessee excuse me yeah up in north west Tennesse up in the Tennessee river area where we used to vacation some. It was sort of kinda we were planning to go out of town anyways but that (laughing) made it definite because I didn’t know what the results of the riots would be.
Robbie: how did the people around you react how did they...
Dede: Umm you know that is very vague in my mind, I think everybody basically from a security standpoint felt the same way I did. I would leave it at that.
Robbie: how did things change throughout the night?
Dede: Through the night? There was there was really no change there was just a little apprehension in case riots were to develop that night in our neighborhood.
Robbie: Describe your night after King was shot, what were you doing?
Dede: That night I was not in Memphis I left Memphis with my new baby and my wife and went up to the Paris ,TN area for the weekend.
Robbie: What did you think of King before and after his death?
Dede: Frankly, I, I didn’t think a lot about it one way or the other. Um I realize basically what he was trying to accomplish was right and he was trying to right the wrongs of many years and he seemed to be ah, you know, a very eloquent, intelligent man, his speeches were very impressive. And as I say I couldn’t help but you know respect what he you know what he stood for.
Robbie: Both before and after?
Dede: Ye..Yes,yes
Robbie: Did life did life change at all after his death?
Dede: Oh, absolutely. Memphis just completely changed. They it, it became the slide it began that began the slide of Memphis from a queen city down to the third, most having the third most crimes in the nation. The third on the list starting with that day.
Robbie: Did people act different or view problems differently?
Dede: Yes. People, People quit using mass transit. People were afraid to use the buses for transit. It has never been the same since then you never see hardly any white people on ah on mass transit. That started the day ah of the assassination also downtown Memphis was never the same again. Memphis was always crowded downtown with shoppers business people etcetera. to this day you go downtown, that main street is empty I have a photograph of Memphis hanging from a wall in my office and people always comment about it. That is Memphis. It is a picture of downtown Memphis just loaded with people, shops, busses, just a very busy area. From that moment on Memphis downtown was dead.
Robbie: Is there anything else about that time in your life that we haven’t discussed that you would like to add?
Dede: Well na other than you know the security feeling the fact that you always nowadays in Memphis everyone including myself always feels like when they go out they have to be on guard. Watch what’s going on around them.
Robbie: Got it thank you for your time.
Dede: Okay