Black Lives Matter — in coordination with several other Memphis-based activist groups — has announced plans to “shut down Graceland” Monday evening.
The Coalition of Concerned Citizens, which includes members of the Black Lives Matter movement, is protesting both economic inequality plaguing the city and lingering outrage over the police-involved shooting death of Darrius Stewart last year.
According to Fox 13 in Memphis, movement leaders chose Graceland, Elvis Presley’s historic home in Memphis, Tenn., because “it demonstrates one of Memphis’s most common forms of financial inequality and because the site has ties to the death of unarmed teen Darrius Stewart.”
The protests are set to start at 6 pm, during the opening festivities for “Elvis Week.”
“Elvis Week must be really important, because I got a lot of phone calls,” community leader Frank Gottie said of the timing. “Homeland security and everybody. [They said] don’t go to Elvis more than 20 deep, you can’t go there. But how they going to say that when it’s welcome to the public?”
(via: Daily Caller)
