Redondo Beach took two steps forward on Martin Luther King’s birthday, Jan. 20, to borrow a phrase from the speech of Mayor Bill Brand. During the celebration at City Hall, the city unveiled a monument bench honoring civil rights leader. The celebration was Redondo’s first-ever official event held in King’s honor. It was proposed by the Redondo Beach Police Department’s Community Engagement Group. Members Tonya McKenzie and Marcus “Goodie” Goodloe, along with RBPD Capt. Jon Naylor, organized the celebration, which featured speeches by Brand and Police Chief Keith Kauffman, music by the Corbin Jones Big Band, and a proclamation from Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose father was the only elected official in Los Angeles willing to greet King during his visit to LA in 1961.
“There is no doubt in my mind that this recent empowerment of those who oppose equality and freedom for all in America will be met with two steps forward. I don’t know yet what those two steps forward will be, but there will be two steps forward,” Brand said. “I know this because I trust America, and Americans will not stand by for this.”
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