He was invited to speak March 14, 1968, at what was then Grosse Pointe High School by a local fair-housing advocacy group. An estimated 2,700 people filled the gym.In recognition of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday, let's recall the civil rights leader's last trip to the state.
Three weeks before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., King delivered his speech "The Other America" in Grosse Pointe.
The school board's decision to host King was controversial and part of the deal was that the Grosse Pointe Human Relations Council take out a $1-million insurance policy to protect against any damage to school property if the event turned violent.
Tensions were so high in the community that a local police chief sat on King's lap in the car on the way to the school to shield him from danger.
Police checked the gym for bombs hours before King's speech, and five dozen officers from neighboring communities were on hand in case the evening turned ugly.
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