City takes over MLK parade, show will go on

Former organizer says city's new regulations created problems that led to takeover

January 16, 2016 at 3:23 p.m. | Updated January 17, 2016 at 8:09 p.m.

by Staff Report

Meg Saligman and her team have transformed 42,000 square feet of vertical canvas into "M.L. King Mural: We Will Not Be Satisfied Until , " the largest mural in the Southeast and one of the five largest in the country.
Meg Saligman and her team have transformed 42,000 square feet of vertical canvas into "M.L. King Mural: We Will Not Be Satisfied Until , " the largest mural in the Southeast and one of the five largest in the country.

Jan. 18:

10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Southern Adventist University/Salvation Army “Street Store” in downtown Chattanooga, offering free clothes to the homeless.1:45 p.m.: Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Parade lineup at the intersection of North Moore Road and Brainerd Road between Waffle House and Ridgeview Baptist Church.3 p.m.: Parade starts. One-mile march from intersection to Brainerd High School. Parade ends in parking lot near the football stadium.5 p.m.: Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday concert with Phusion Dance Group, TruSaint & TureMog of Savior Gang and Big Mike Mic.

Despite concerns that the longstanding Martin Luther King Birthday Parade in Chattanooga might be done for this year, the show is back on and will proceed as scheduled tomorrow.

But its historical host and organizer, the Unity Group, for the first time will not be at the driver's wheel - instead, the city is now hosting the event.

Sherman Matthews, Unity Group president, said Friday night the parade was canceled because of organizational and scheduling issues. He said the city did not approve the parade permit in time for the route to be set up and barricaded with traffic cones for safety.

However, Lacie Stone, spokeswoman for Mayor Andy Berke, said Saturday the permit was late because the Unity Group didn't turn in a certificate of insurance until Tuesday or Wednesday, despite communicating in November that insurance would be required this year.

Once the mayor's office learned Matthews had canceled the parade, Stone said, city officials contacted the Unity Group to try and ensure that the parade would go on, offering traffic cones and police services that the city would pay for. But organization officials told the city Saturday morning they didn't want to host the event, she said.

"We scrambled to make sure the event would happen, and we would love for the original organizers to host it," Stone said, but "we asked them to host it and they declined."

She also said the city was not trying to take over the parade and that, "The only reason the city got involved in this level was because the existence of the event was threatened and people heard it was going to be canceled."

Matthews did not respond to numerous messages seeking comment Saturday.

Contact Staff Writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6731.

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