Heart of the Matter

It was an enlightening experience to attend the Port District meeting July 25. Opponents to naming the convention center for Dr. Martin Luther King said the center might suffer from a lack of business if his name were used. Then we learned that the center has already been booked in advance for three years! Did King opponents think convention reservations would be canceled because of the name? If it were Tom Metzger or the Ku Klux Klan planning a convention, maybe that would be true.

Commissioner Dan Larsen chose to read two letters from King-name opponents, but none for the “pro” side. Larsen has an interesting idea of fairness, especially since his office refused to accept my call when I wished to register support for the King name. Several of my friends’ calls were also refused.

Larsen said he was speaking for the majority of San Diegans by voting against his bosses--the City Council, which directed him to support naming the center for Dr. King. How can he prove he represents the majority? Did he conduct a scientific opinion poll?

Throughout the Feb. 21 port hearing and the July 25 meeting, King-name opponents kept insisting they were not racists. But racism is what is really at the heart of this issue, no matter how much they try to disguise it.

SUSAN WINGFIELD

San Diego