Letter to the editor: Cleaver’s reaction was about protesters’ disrespect for church

Respect church

I have known Emanuel Cleaver, as a reverend first and then a congressman, possibly longer than most on The Star’s editorial board. Culturally, I think the issue with the protesters at Paseo Baptist Church on Nov. 3 is less about the name of a street than about conduct inside a church, and especially a black church.

You must remember that Cleaver knew King and was mentored by the Rev. Ralph Abernathy. Can any of the protesters who wanted to remove the name of Martin Luther King Jr. from The Paseo or members of the editorial board, who criticized Cleaver, say that? (Dec. 13, 16A, “Cleaver erupts after comparing MLK Blvd. opponents to KKK”)

I was not there, but I received texts and Facebook posts during the incident from people who were present, and the demonstrators were showing disrespect to the church. You may not understand, but that is a big deal to black ministers of Cleaver’s generation because, first and foremost, the church is not to be disrespected. The church is historically a safe haven. The protesters were seen as invaders.

You must consider that Cleaver, who was a young man in the South during the the civil rights movement, remembers the bombings of black churches. Even if the protesters that day were both black and white, he probably had flashbacks that resulted in what you called his “outburst.”

I don’t care what Al Sharpton said, and I don’t care that Cleaver chose not to correct him. I do care that you have taken something out of context when your editorial board really knows the type of person Cleaver is. Get the full picture, and don’t just chase headlines.

- James E. Coleman, Kansas City