BUFFALO, N.Y. - The conversation is growing about a bust of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a Buffalo park named after the late Civil Rights leader.
At first and second glance, many people believe the bust does not look like Dr. King.
Clifford Bell, former City of Buffalo Councilman and chairman of the King birthday celebration in Buffalo, was instrumental in the getting the bust installed and assisted with planning and fundraising.
Bell told 2 On Your Side's Claudine Ewing he's offended with any push to remove the current bust in MLK Park. According to Bell, the original concept was to have a bust that was full of symbolism and "not to look like Dr. King."
Buffalo community activist Sam Herbert says the current bust that has been in place since 1983 should either come down or a new statue should be erected. He said it doesn't look like Dr. King and a better representation of him should be installed.
"What troubled me was that there was no research or homework done on this obviously. Find out what was the rationale for the head in the first place. It was to represent a strong black man. We agreed on it, we had it erected. Now if there are people who want it to look exactly like King, which I'm sure some people did, well that wasn't the decision of the committee at the time," said Bell.
Bell agrees that the bust does not look like King, but added, "it was never intended to look like Dr. King.
The metal bust sits on top of a stone base. It was the work of an out of town sculptor, John Wilson. He is deceased. "He suggested that we use this head as a force of the struggle of the black man and black power," according to Bell.
Herbert said about the current piece of artwork, "remove that head, melt it down and create an enlarged life-size image." To that Bell said, "if someone wanted to build something that looked exactly like King as their tribute, that is their prerogative. I have no problem with Sam Herbert. I have a concern about when he talks about melting down something that we planned, erected, paid for and continue to perpetuate King's memory since that date in '83."
Still to weigh in on this issue is the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, the non-profit that maintains the park.