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Petition now circulating to remove & replace MLK Park statue

A new petition is now circulating, both in person and online, to remove and replace the controversial statue in MLK Park in Buffalo.

On this Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, there's an effort underway in Buffalo to change a now controversial statue in MLK Park.

There is considerable debate over whether the statue, an 8-foot bust of Dr. King, is an accurate representation of the civil rights leader.

As Channel 2 reported last week, those involved in the creation of the monument say it was never intended to look like Dr. King, but rather to represent all African American men and women.

Monday, local activist, Sam Herbert, revealed his new petition to have the statue removed and replaced, "We have a dream. Our dream is to change the discords of this image."

The Coalition to Save Martin Luther King Park petition wants to remove the 8-foot bust and replace it with an 8-foot full body statue of Dr. King stating, "...our very legitimate criticism of the distorted image on exhibit arises out of the fact that it not only fails to exhibit any of the physical features of The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., but it is so distantly remote from his actual appearance that it suggests an insulting stereotyping."

"We're going to live to see this mistake corrected," Herbert tells Channel 2. "No more symbolism. We want realism."

Despite the call for realism, there were questions about whether the plans were realistic.

Herbert explains that the first phase of the plan is to collect 10,000 signatures by summer 2018, with the hope that a new statue would replace the current one by MLK day 2019.

He told reporters Monday morning that they want to commission the same artist that did the MLK memorial in Washington D.C., Lei Yixin, to create a new sculpture for Buffalo.

He admits he hasn't had any conversations with the city about this, nor the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, which manages and maintains MLK Park.

Herbert admits they've only started looking into how much it will cost to remove the statue. He does not have even an estimate of what it might cost to replace it, "We're gonna melt this head down, and we're gonna recycle the material. That will save us tremendous amount of money...We're going to privately raise dollars for this...Just so no elected officials gonna tell us what we cannot have...They are all politically controlled by money...And they would recite all the reasons why we shouldn't do this. So this is not about getting permission."

2 On Your Side contacted the City of Buffalo, to find out what Mayor Byron Brown had to say about Herbert's plans. He sent us this response:

I have said repeatedly - especially over this weekend - that the most important way to honor the legacy of Dr. King is through positive deeds.

This is a time where our collective voices and actions are needed to protect the civil rights fought for by our forebears, and to ensure that we are a welcoming nation that celebrates our diversity and works toward economic, racial and social justice for all.

I don't believe that the most pressing issue of our day is a difference of opinion and/or interpretation of public artwork that has meant different things for different people over thirty five years.

In Dr. King's words: "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.

The Coalition plans to circulate the petition to collect signatures, both in person and online, at change.org. They're also working on getting a committee together for the statue replacement project.

Herbert says they plan to collect signatures through the summer and then present it to elected officials. He says only after that is done and they've raised the necessary funds, will they have discussions with city and community leaders.

Buffalo Common Council President, Darius Pridgen, says he encourages the Coalition to have those conversation with city leaders before any money is raised. Because the statue is public property, he says there are legal ramifications of having it removed.

He views Herbert's MLK 2018 replacement date as "an aggressive time frame."

Pridgen tells Channel 2, "I respect those that fought to have the current statue there," and that, "the current statue represents strong African Americans," and he would like to keep the bust there. He says, "There is room enough in MLK Park for another statue."

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