Protesters sue Elvis Presley's Graceland

Five citizens denied entry to the annual candlelight vigil outside Graceland this past August are suing the city and Elvis Presley Enterprises for racial discrimination and civil rights violations.

BIM - WTG! Cut your nose off to spite your face!  Scare tourists away! You'll show them!
That will surely NOT help the issues in the city of Memphis!

The federal lawsuit was filed Wednesday, Jan. 18, by Aaron Lewis, Keedran Franklin, Earle Fisher, Catherine Lewis and Charline Tramel.

It seeks punitive damages of an unspecified amount, compensation for humiliation, embarrassment, emotional distress and mental anguish as well as an injunction barring such behavior in the future.

BIM - Hey, Elvis fans who were scared and stressed by all this and even those who decided not to go because of this, SUE for your emotional stress! And for the EMBARRASSMENT brought on to the LEGACY of Elvis Presley who LOVED Memphis with all his heart and soul, whose LOYALTY to the city and it's people continues to bring MILLIONS of people to the great city. 

The Coalition of Concerned Citizens called for a protest at the annual Aug. 16 vigil commemorating the anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death to call attention to issue of poverty and low-paying jobs.

BIM - This I get and I can see their issues. I'd be mad too. This huge hotel and complex being built yet MURDER rates were higher than ever, crime, education and JOBS such a big issue. I hear ya!

Memphis Police responded with checkpoints on both sides of the vigil area on Elvis Presley Boulevard in an attempt to screen out and deny admittance to any protesters.  

Protesters denied entrance to the vigil area gathered at Elvis Presley Boulevard and Craft Road and were confined for a short time to an area enclosed in metal barricades. Three people were arrested by police.

BIM - Listen this is COMMON. It happens EVERYWHERE. I have been in NYC, Washington D.C. most recently for the inauguration and other cities where protesters were in a certain area and/or kept out of certain areas. There is nothing wrong with that. 
 Those who SAVED all year to be in Memphis from AROUND THE WORLD and HAVE NOTHING TO DO with our issues, DESERVE to enjoy their vacation and pay RESPECT to Elvis Presley in peace. Yes, we all are entitled to our opinion and free speech but should we infringe on each other? NO!

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Bruce Kramer, claims those denied entrance were turned away because they were African-Americans.

“Defendants, the city of Memphis Police Department, under the direction of Elvis Presley Enterprises, required black citizens attempting to attend the public vigil to remain in certain fenced-off areas and black citizens were not allowed access to Graceland or the sidewalks surrounding Graceland, which is open to the public,” the lawsuit reads. “Other similarly situated white citizens were allowed access to Graceland and to the public sidewalks surrounding Graceland.”

BIM - I watched all the coverage in LIVE time. It was NOT only certain citizens. It was PROTESTERS in general. Again, fencing off protesters happens all over the country. This was NOT about race! This was about keeping everyone safe! And not scaring off tourists. These people travel across the globe to come to Memphis and if they experience protests and violence, they won't return and others will think twice about coming. So this does no good for the city. 
This HURTS All of Memphis! If fans are forced to endure protests during a respectful vigil, they will stop coming. Then what, Memphis? 


All five of the plaintiffs are African-Americans.

 Two of three people arrested by police in the protest were white.

A large group of white protesters walked past the police checkpoints into the vigil area without any questions and began chanting “black lives matter” from the vigil side of the police barrier at least an hour into the protest. As they chanted they walked through the police line to the area where police were holding back other protesters.



BIM - I didn't see any of this. I don't think Memphis PD would ALLOW white protestors to disrupt this respectful event. This was NOT about COLOR, it was about RESPECT for a man who LOVED his city. And the protesters left once the drizzle of rain started. YET the ELVIS FANS STOOD STEADFAST, LOYAL AND TRUE TO ELVIS PRESLEY!
ONE PROTESTER made it up the hill to Elvis' grave with plans to vandalize his final resting place. How disrespectful! But fans tell me, they were caught before they approached the grave.

The lawsuit alleges Graceland coordinated with Memphis Police in advance and that Graceland had “one employee who was directing and/or coordinating with the Memphis Police Department and using the Memphis Police Department as Graceland’s security force for the public candlelight vigil.”

BIM - A fan on our facebook page pointed out today that what the media is leaving out is the EPE employee was African American.

“The defendants … participated in a common design through a concert of action to allow white citizens to attend the public candlelight vigil and to deny African-American citizens access to the public candlelight vigil, the grounds of Graceland and to the areas surrounding Graceland, including public sidewalks, public streets and businesses open to the public,” according to the lawsuit.

Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings has denied any racial bias in how police determined who was a protester and who was attending the vigil, but the city has otherwise declined comment, citing the likelihood of a lawsuit.

“There is some pending litigation or could be, so I don’t really want to talk about that,” Rallings said in September on the WKNO/Channel 10 program “Behind The Headlines.”

“What I want to talk about is that we had a plan where we would work with Graceland to keep that event safe,” he continued. “We had a number of threats of protest. And it wasn’t, ‘We’re going to protest.’ It was, ‘We are going to disrupt the candlelight vigil.’”

BIM - ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! It was ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA AND ON THE NEWS!

Rallings also cited concerns about terrorism in the police response to the protest.

“We’re on Elvis Presley Boulevard, a major thoroughfare – we are worried about that,” he said. “We’ve seen international and domestic terrorist attacks. I don’t forget about those things.”

Elvis Presley Enterprises said in a statement Thursday that the tourist attraction has a "world-wide reputation for inclusion."

BIM - We Elvis fans know this for a fact!  EPE has always welcomed EVERYONE, 
Their motto which has even been on Elvis fan club t-shirts was music is an international language!
And we fans THANK EPE for taking swift action as ALWAYS and addressing our concerns.
Personally, and again I say PERSONALLY, I am NOT at all opposed to EPE making this a private event with a paid admission. If it means avoiding this stuff, I am all for it. I do not want young fans, families or fans from all over the world missing this amazing event. 
NO ONE should be INTIMIDATED to show their love and respect for Elvis Presley. And fans felt intimidated! Whatever EPE has to do, WE fans are behind you! 
But if this comes to something where the city has to allow this into the vigil, many fans will stop coming out of RESPECT to the memory of Elvis Presley. This event has always been respectful and emotional for the fans. And WE FANS do not want Elvis' memory put in the middle of something it has nothing to do with. We fans LOVE Memphis like a second home. And WE LOVE MEMPHIANS!  But we could learn to LOVE another city if we are not allowed to have our vigil respectfully. Hey, there's always Tupelo!
I was thinking about this today and I thought about Beale Street, many nights it is blocked off with Police searching people, showing ID and PAYING a fee. That is also a public street and people are not allowed on Beale St without complying and PAYING. No one sued the city over this or made it a race issue BECAUSE it is NOT. It is about SAFETY FOR ALL. I think IF it came down to it, maybe EPE and the city would have to do this on EP Blvd on the night of candle light. Wrist bands for PAYING participants. Whatever they have to do to keep the event respectful and peaceful. Yes, this event has always been FREE, but I think safety has a price. The money we pay for the wrist bands could go to a local non profit.

The statement, which does not directly mention the lawsuit, says Graceland has welcomed more than 20 million visitors in the past 34 years from "nearly every country on earth, and they have all been welcomed without incident." It also states that Graceland is proud of its reputation for inclusion and hospitality.

BIM - We, Elvis fans want to THANK the city of Memphis, Elvis Presley Enterprises and ABOVE ALL The Memphis Police Department! THANK YOU for PROTECTING ALL! 

TCB with TLC!

Source - Memphis Daily News