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Saturday, February 4, 2006
Last mourners file past casket
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At 8:58 p.m., some nine hours after the public began filing into the Capitol, the last two mourners paid their respects.
“I’m just glad we made it,” said Lynette Archibald, who arrived at the Capitol with her boyfriend, Roger Williams, an hour earlier. “She’s done so much; she’s the first lady of the civil rights movement.”
After leaving the Capitol, Archibald and Williams said they were glad they had come — and made it inside.
“She looks like she’s asleep; so pretty,” said Archibald.
At 9 p.m., the black curtains of the rotunda were pulled shut. An undertaker in a black hat and morning coat gently placed white handkerchiefs over King’s hands and face.
Ten members of a state patrol honor guard, in white gloves and blue-grey uniforms, gathered around the rose-colored casket. And the sweet, sad skirl of bagpipes led the way.
At Washington and Mitchell streets, a cadre of motorcycles with blue lights escorted a hearse past a knot of people who had waited to say one more goodbye.
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Line closes with 5,000 still waiting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At 8 p.m., as officers closed the line of mourners waiting to see Coretta Scott King at the state Capitol, about 5,000 remained waiting in line.
Officials estimated it would be another hour and 15 minutes before everyone who was standing in line would have a chance to pay their respects.
At 7:45 p.m., three undertakers in black frock coats and top hats stood on three sides of the coffin, ready to bring the ceremony to a close.
The casket will be escorted to a waiting hearse by an honor guard of state patrol officers. A bagpiper will lead the way, playing “Rowan Tree.”
About 30,000 have passed by the coffin by 7:45 p.m., a staffer with the governor’s office estimated.
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Night falls with lines still long
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As the sun sank and the nearby neon lights of Underground Atlanta lit up, people continued to enter the line that snaked around three sides of a city block just west of the Capitol.
The mood was subdued but light, with scatters of soft laughter and parents saying, “Just a little longer,” to children.
As the sky turned dark, the wind lessened—a boon to the many in the crowd who brought children.
“If she could stand out in marches for hours, being in the cold for a little while is nothing,” Tia Lampkin, 29, of Atlanta, said of Mrs. King.
Lampkin had bundled her 15-month-old daughter, Tatumn, in two T-shirts, a sweatshirt and a coat, then covered her stroller with a large pink blanket.
The line was moving well, Lampkin said. It took her about 30 minutes to get two-thirds of the way through.
Lampkin said she never met any members of the King family, but felt compelled to come in part because of family history.
Her aunt, Vera Whiters, had been a waitress at Paschal’s Restaurant when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his aides often met there. Whiters had often served them, Lampkin said, and attended King’s funeral.
More than 15,000 people had paid respects by late afternoon, with waits to get into the Capitol ranging from 90 minutes to 2 hours.
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Lieutenant governor pays respects
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Shortly after 7 p.m., Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor and his wife Sacha arrived to pay their respects, bowing their heads slightly during a moment of silence. "She was a tremendous ambasador to the state of Georgia," Taylor said afterwards. "Coretta Scott King was an icon around the world and a real inspiration to me, especially because of her grace. No matter the situation, no matter the stress — regardless of the press of time or the press of the crowd, she was always so gracious." Taylor said he was not surprised at the long line of mourners who filed through the Capitol at a rate of 3,000 to 4,000 an hour.“I’m not surprised at all. i knew that this turnout would be unprecedented. She’s the glue that has held the movement together,” he said.
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Line long, but moving quickly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At 5:15 p.m. the line of visitors waiting to see Coretta Scott King lying in state at the Capitol was moving quickly, but intimidating in length.
The line to get inside the Capitol Rotunda went out onto Washington Street, down Mitchell Street and looped around almost an entire city block. With three hours left for anyone to get into line, people appeared to be streaming out of cars and jumping into the line. Most wore heavy coats, scarves and hats and stood shivering as they worked their way down the line.
An estimated 15,000 people had already viewed King’s body. Security workers kept visitors moving at a brisk pace and did not allow anyone to linger in front of the casket.
The area had large numbers of police, security workers and Ambassador Force workers.
Capitol Police said at 8 p.m. tonight they will cut off the line, but anyone in line at that time will be allowed to enter the Capitol.
Despite the number of people in line, the crowd was mostly quiet and orderly. The crowd was overwhelmingly black, with only a smattering of white people in line.
The entire area around the Capitol had heavy traffic with some lanes and streets closed. Visitors were advised to ride MARTA.
Janet Walker of southwest Atlanta stood outside the exit doors of the Capitol holding a small photo of Mrs. King with a hand-written caption: “Long Live the Queen.”
Walker, a student at Georgia State University, sang in a soft, clear voice: “Coretta Scott King, long live our queen, she was a peaceful warrior. Corretta Scott King, our queen, who wore God’s suit of armor. Gaze upon the queen, who marched with the king, and gave his life to him only.”
Walker said she has researched Mrs. King’s life, who she believes offers an inspiring message for young black women today. “She, to me, represents a type of black womanhood, a type of black ladyhood, that we sorely need today in the public eye.”
Passersby leaving the Capitol stopped to admire Walker’s voice. Some snapped photos. Some asked for autographs. One woman admonished her young daughter to listen carefully to Walker’s words.
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‘This is just something I knew I had to do’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Charles Adams recalled catching glimpses of Coretta Scott King at various times throughout his life.
On Saturday, Adams, 36, stood in line for two hours to take his last look.
King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., died on Monday at 78. On Saturday she became the first woman and the first African-American to lie in state at the Capitol.
Her body will lie at the Capitol until tonight. Officials have said those in line by 8 p.m. would be allowed in.
At 4 p.m. the Capitol Police estimated that about 15,000 people had already come through for the viewing. Wait times were 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Adams had seen King at high school graduations, church functions and marches throughout his life. He’d taken her for granted as a part of the Atlanta civil rights scenery. Adams had even escorted Martin Luther King III on trips from the airport for various social events.
“This is just something I knew I had to do,” Adams said. “I wanted to come out and actually participate.”
Adams said he viewed King as an icon of the civil rights era, one he is too young to recall.
“She reminds me of a lot of the stuff that I saw in all those black-and-white pictures,” Adams said. “She was always there.”
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President Bush to attend funeral
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush will attend the funeral of Coretta Scott King on Tuesday.
“The King family is still finalizing the program, but the President is expected to make remarks as part of the service,” McClellan said.
The funeral is at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia.
The list of dignitaries who are either confirmed or expected to attend the funeral began to take shape Saturday.CONFIRMED:
—President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush
—Former President Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter
—Gov. Sonny Perdue and First Lady Mary Perdue
—Ten U.S. senators and about 100 members of the House of Representatives, including Reps. Lewis, Sanford Bishop and Cynthia McKinney of the metro area. The Senate delegation will be led by Ted Kennedy (D-Mass).
—Almost the entire Democratic leadership in the House, including Nancy Pelosi of California, Steny Hoyer of Maryland and James Clyburn of South Carolina
—South African First Lady Zanele Mbeki
—South African Ambassador to the United States Barbara Masekela
EXPECTED:
—Ex-presidents Bush and Clinton
—A majority of the Congressional Black Caucus, which has 43 members
—All or most of the Georgia congressional delegation (two senators and 13 House members)
Sources: The White House, The Carter Center, Gov. Perdue’s office, the congressional office of Rep. John Lewis, DeKalb County government.
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10,000 pay respects
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Capitol police estimate that almost 10,000 people had passed through the Capitol as of about 2:50 p.m.
The line stretched from Mitchell down to Central, across Central to MLK Drive, and then down to the Georgia State MARTA Station. The wait was 2 hours and 15 minutes, Capitol police estimated.
Anyone in line at 8 p.m. can view the body, but the line will close at that time.
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Officials, public united in respect
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thousands braved blustery, rainy pre-dawn gloom on Saturday morning to watch as a horse-drawn black carriage carried the body of the leading lady of the civil rights movement to the state Capitol.
By 1 p.m., when the first members of the public were allowed into the rotunda to pay their final respects to Coretta Scott King, the line outside the Capitol stretched for more than five blocks and was five or six people across.
About 400 mourners gathered on the edge of Howell Park across the street from the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home at the corner of Peeples Street and Ralph David Abernathy Avenue to watch as the carriage was prepared to take her body to the Capitol.
Saturday, she became the first woman and the first African-American to lie in state at the Capitol. King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr., died Monday at age 78. Her body will lie in state at the Capitol until 8 p.m.
“How could you not love the Kings? How could you not be sad?” said Robin Cermak of the West End.
Cermak said while King has been described by some as the only royalty that black people have, she disagrees.
“There have been many black kings and queens, but she is royalty. She is one of them.”
The older members of the crowd recalled the hardships of the Civil Rights era and the days that came before. Younger people were there to recognize the family that had sacrificed so much for their generation.
Nathan Peeks grew up in Perry Homes on Atlanta’s west side in the 1960s. Childhood memories were scarred by images of violence and hatred.
Peeks recalled restaurant owners in downtown Atlanta during the 1960s not letting him come inside to eat because he was black.
“We saw some things that brought civil rights to our attention. I remember when they burned a cross in front of Perry Homes,” said Peeks, 53. “From that time on, it was burned in our hearts and into our spirits.”
Early Saturday morning, members of the General Assembly also began gathering on the third floor of the Capitol to await the arrival of King’s casket. Many said they were deeply saddened by her death, but pleased that Gov. Sonny Perdue had extended to her the honor of lying in state under the Gold Dome.
“This is historic and unprecedented in Georgia to have an African-American and a woman lie in state,” said Rep. Virgil Fludd (D-Tyrone). “The significance has to do with both her race and gender, and also the contributions she’s made to our society and our state. This is an appropriate honor for her contributions.”
Rep. Ernest “Coach” Williams (D-Stone Mountain) also said he believed Perdue extended a fitting honor to Mrs. King. Williams said he did not know her personally, but remembered marching with her husband in Albany, Ga. “It’s appropriate not just because of her husband, but because of her own legacy and her own contributions to Georgia and the United States.”
The carriage bearing the casket brought onlookers to their windows and curbs as the horses walked and trotted through city streets. The cortege was joined by the King children and arrived on Washington Street at 11:3O a.m., greeted by cheers and applause from the crowd there.
Perdue, his wife Mary and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, all dressed in black, greeted the family at the Capitol Plaza with hugs and words.
The bronze casket was carried inside by an Honor Guard of the Georgia State Patrol.
Rising above the noise of four helicopters hovering above, a bagpiper played “Amazing Grace.”
Watching the casket go inside the Gold Dome, the face of Martin Luther King III crumpled with grief. As the 10-member honor guard maneuvered the stairs, there were more cheers from the crowd, some saying “Coretta!”
Once inside the rotunda, the casket was opened and family members gathered around to pay their final respects. State lawmakers watched from balconies above, many crying softly as the casket was opened.
King was dressed in a pink suit, adorned with a large white flower. The inside of her casket was lined with pink and two large bouquets featured pink roses, reported to be her favorite flower.
Shortly before noon, while the family and state officials began ceremonies with song and speeches inside, some jostling was taking place in the lines outside.
Some mourners tried to cut to the front of the line outside the capitol. They were immediately admonished by others in the the crowd. “This is NOT the day for that!” shouted mourner Toni James who drove down from South Carolina to pay her respects. “This is not some rock concert where it’s OK to act crazy!”
Inside, after he stood by King’s casket, the governor made a few short remarks. Perdue called King a “courageous and gracious” woman, and expressed his condolences to her four children, Yolanda, Martin Luther King III, Dexter and Bernice.
He said that while many in American today would claim King as their own, the King children are experiencing a great personal loss. Perdue then gave the King family an official state declaration commemorating King’s life.
After his remarks, Kathleen Bertrand sang a hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” Bertrand is a vice president at Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and a well-known local singer.
Then Franklin gave a short address. “It is my privilege to join with all of you today to say, ‘Thank You, God’ for the life and work of Coretta Scott King,” Franklin said. “As mayor of Atlanta, I stand on very broad shoulders.” Franklin thanked King for her love, faith, and caring, and said that she would “be in our hearts and minds forever.”
Other elected officials who attended the brief ceremony included Secretary of State Cathy Cox and Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin.
State Rep. Randal Mangham (D-Decatur) was one of the first members of the Legislature to view King’s body. “She was great woman who left a great legacy,” Mangham said. “The great show of people here today is evidence of what she stood for and what she did. People were waiting for the new Moses. But Moses went over. She was the new Joshua.”
Mourner Marjorie Ellis, 40, of Atlanta carried a bouquet of three yellow roses outside the Capitol before the doors were opened to the public. “It occurred to me this morning that today is a historical day that I needed to witness,” she said. “This may be the only moment in my liftime that an African-American woman will ever lie in state here at our Capitol.”
Margaret Clemons and her 88-year-old mother, Dorothy Young, were among the first members of the public to pay their respects to Mrs. King.
“She looked so beautiful,” Young said. “I was so moved I intended to say a prayer, but I forgot.”
Robert Dixon Jr., 53, of Atlanta, originally from Mobile, said he waited in line for three hours to show his respects to Mrs. King.
“I was freezing, but I would have stood out here even if it was snowing,” he said after viewing her body in the state Capitol. “She is a woman for all people.”
The experience was “incredible,” he added.
“She brought me here,” Dixon said. “She’s a great woman. She has carried on the movement for Martin Luther King. She is the Queen of Civil Rights, a woman of justice, of peace, of hope and of love.”
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Viewing an ‘incredible’ experience
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Robert Dixon Jr., 53, of Atlanta, originally from Mobile, Ala., said he waited in line for three hours in the cold weather to show his respects for Mrs. King.“I was freezing, but I would have stood out here even if it was snowing,” he said after viewing her body in the state Capitol. “She is a woman for all people.”
The experience was "incredible," he added.“She brought me here,” Dixon said. “She’s a great woman. She has carried on the movement for Martin Luther King. She is the Queen of Civil Rights, a woman of justice, of peace, of hope and of love.”
Sandra Pope, who lives in West End, waited in line for two hours to view Mrs. King’s body.
She had many different thought while waiting, she said, "some about Mrs. King and some about the people during the Civil Rights era. It warmed my heart to see her."She said she met and spoke to Mrs. King on a few occasions, and that each time she was poised and knowledgeable.
“Since she died, I’ve broken down about eight times,” said Pope, who declined to give her age. “The reason I broke down is because she was like a relative to me. I saw her in the casket and I wanted to get in with her. That’s how close I felt to her.”
State officials estimated at 2 p.m. that people who joined the line at that point would , wait about 90 minutes. The line is flowing and moving well, but people just keep coming.
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Casket arrives at Capitol
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coretta Scott King’s body arrived at the state Capitol just after 11:30 a.m., greeted by some cheers and applause from the crowd already gathered there.
Gov. Sonny Perdue and his wife, Mary, and Mayor Shirley Franklin stood on the Capitol Plaza dressed somberly in black coats and suits as the carriage pulled in. All four of Mrs. King’s children were greeted by the Perdues and Franklin with hugs and words.
As the Georgia State Patrol Honor Guard lifted her casket and began carrying it inside the Gold Dome, a bagpiper played “Amazing Grace.”
Watching the casket go inside, the face of Martin Luther King III crumpled with grief. As the 10-member honor guard maneuvered the stairs, there were more cheers from the crowd, some saying “Coretta!”
Once inside the rotunda, the casket was opened and family members gathered around to pay their final respects. State lawmakers watched from above, many crying softly as the casket was opened.
Mrs. King was dressed in a pink suit, adorned with a large white flower.
As the four King children gathered over the casket, the oldest daughter, Yolanda, leaned over and touched her mother’s forehead.
After the family stepped aside, Gov. Perdue and Mary Perdue and Mayor Franklin walked up to the casket and stood for a moment. They were the first non-family members to pay their respects.
After the family and Perdues had stepped aside, Kathleen Bertrand sang a hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” Bertrand is a vice president at Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and a well known local singer.
Outside the Capitol, some mourners tried to cut to the front of the line.
They are immediately admonished by others in the the crowd. “This is NOT the day for that!” shouted mourner Toni James, who drove down from South Carolina to pay her respects.
“This is not some rock concert where its OK to act crazy!”
At noon a steady rain began to fall on the crowd. It contrasted the brief appearance of the sun as Mrs. King’s body was taken out of the horse drawn carriage. A black horse trailer with Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home on the side met the black gleaming carriage to transport the carriage back.
There had been confusion about which direction King’s body would arrive from.
The crowd of thousands, huddled together on the corner of Washington and Mitchell, readied cell phone cameras, video equipment and cameras for the moment the carriage would come into view.
A police motorcade idled at the red light.
“There she is!” shouted Quninto Lucas, perched on a police barracade. With his view, Lucas snapped pictures for others.
— Rich Eldredge, Mae Gentry, Sonji Jacobs, Laura Woody
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Procession evokes memories
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
They came alone, in pairs or with whole families. They came in suits and ties, or jeans and sweatpants. About 400 mourners from the projects and the suburbs came to the corner of Ralph David Abernathy Road and Peeples Street to watch Coretta Scott King’s body carried to the Capitol where she continued to make history.
The older members of the crowd recalled the hardships of the civil rights era and the days that came before. Younger people were there to recognize the family that had sacrificed so much for their generation.
Nathan Peeks grew up in Perry Homes on Atlanta’s west side in the 1960s. Childhood memories were scarred by images of violence and hatred.
Peeks recalled restaurant owners in downtown Atlanta during the 1960s not letting him come inside to eat because he was black.
“We saw some things that brought civil rights to our attention. I remember when they burned a cross in front of Perry Homes,” said Peeks, 53. “From that time on, it was burned in our hearts and into our spirits.â€?
Peeks said a neighhorhood man was lynched in a Westside plum orchard, where children routinely played and families gathered.
“The more I realized the actual hatred that existed, you started looking at things in a whole different light,” Peeks said.
Peeks, who has lived in metro Atlanta his whole life, came up during turbulent times. He moved to the East Lake projects, where he became active with Hosea Williams community volunteering. He recalls the Black Power movement of the 1970s, and the scourge of drugs that consumed his friends and neighbors.
“I myself got caught up in it,â€? Peeks said.
Today Peeks lives in Stone Mountain. He said he came to see King’s funeral services to honor their history. “I felt like an era was fading out. I wanted to be a part of it, to connect to it and document it,” Peeks said. “I want to give something to my grandchildren so they can remember.”
Peeks said Corretta Scott King took up her husband’s work after he was assassinated.
“They were looking for someone to take up the mantle. She became a roll model and a leader to carry on what Martin had started,â€? Peeks said. “I just feel a loss. All of them are gone. You don’t see people now taking up that mantle.”
Pat Brown of East Point recalled that after Martin Luther King was assassinated, she went to Morehouse College to watch his funeral services from Ebenezer Baptist Church to the college.
“I got to be part of that history, so I’m here to be part of this one,” Brown said. “I’ve just watched this history all through the years.”
Brown, 62, said, noting the striking difference in her emotions between that era 40 years ago and today. For Coretta Scott King, Brown felt that “she’s at peace now. She lived a long and fruitful life.”
Quvada Moreland brought her daughter Kennedy to see Coretta King’s funeral procession, to create a memory that she hopes the 8-year-old will carry with her for the rest of her life.
Moreland said Kennedy came home and told her about the principal at Bouie Elementary in Lithonia making an announcement when Mrs. King died.
“She said, ‘Mommy, we stopped for a minute in class,’” Moreland said. “Now she can be a part of this history. That’s why I’m taking photos, so she can take them back to her class.”
Moreland, 35, has no memories of the Civil Rights era, but recognized that the King family was instrumental in providing opportunities for future generations. “My feelings about her are different,” Moreland said. “They’re responsible for giving us a lot of the opportunities we have today — to go to college, to have a profession and to buy a house.”
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Lawmakers wish caucus had been consulted
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Early Saturday morning, members of the General Assembly began gathering on the third floor of the state Capitol to await the arrival of Mrs. King’s casket. Many said they were deeply saddened by her death, but pleased that Gov. Sonny Perdue had extended to her the honor of lying in state under the Gold Dome.
“This is historic and unprecedented in Georgia to have an African-American and a woman lie in state,” said Rep. Virgil Fludd (D-Tyrone). “The significance has to do with both her race and gender, and also the contributions she’s made to our society and our state. This is an appropriate honor for her contributions.”
Rep. Ernest “Coach” Williams (D-Stone Mountain) also said he believed Perdue extended a fitting honor to King. Williams said he did not know her personally, but remembered marching with her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in Albany, Ga. “It’s appropriate not just because of her husband, but because of her own legacy and her own contributions to Georgia and the United States.”
Some members of the Legislative Black Caucus expressed disappointment early Saturday that they could not stand with Gov. Perdue when King’s casket arrives at the Gold Dome.
“We really appreciate that the Governor made the gesture to have Mrs. King lie in state, but we also wish that we had been involved in the protocol and the planning,” said state Rep. Stan Watson (D-Decatur), chair of the Legislative Black Caucus. “We feel that because she’s one of our own, we should have been included in the plans.”
Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) also said he would have liked to see the Legislative Black Caucus be included in this morning’s ceremony. “The Legislative Black Caucus represents the aims, the goals, and the mission of Mrs. King’s life,” Fort said. “It would have been proper to include us for that reason.”
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Pink roses adorn rotunda
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As the procession bearing Mrs. King’s body made its way to the Capitol, the rotunda was ready for the day’s visitors. Inside the rotunda was a large wooden bier where the casket will rest. In a corner was a large photograph portrait of Mrs. King wearing a blue dress. There was also a large wreath and two large bouquets of pink roses and other flowers. Pink roses were Mrs. King’s favorite flower. A family member said on Friday that the family had chosen a pink casket with a rose motif.
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Song, cameras follow cortege
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coretta Scott King began the last mile of her journey toward heaven at 10:30 Saturday morning, in an 18th Century glass-sided carriage. A crowd of several hundred Atlantans threw flowers and sang “We Shall Overcome” as they braved temperatures with wind chills in in the 30s.
Her cortege was led by more than a dozen motorcycle policemen. The sound of the singing also mixed with the roar of several helicopters circling overhead. Camera crews documented the occasion as did dozens of amateur photographers and videographers. Among them was Nacoleon Hillsman, 9, of Smyrna, clad in a suit and tie.
"This is important," he said. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. He recorded the event on his own tripod video camera. He said he was making a documentary, and also would visit Ebenezer Baptist Chuch, the Capitol and the King Center, following the progress of Coretta Scott King's casket as it made its way to its final resting place.“She was an angel,” he said.
About 400 people gathered at the corner of Peeples Street and Ralph David Abernathy as the casket passed.Young and old, rich and poor, people dressed in dark suits and ties, or wearing sweatpants and jeans, chatted until someone came out and told them that her casket was about to move.
A small group started to sing “We Shall Overcome,” as the casket passed, making its way to the Capitol.
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Carriage rolls toward Capitol
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The procession carrying the body of Coretta Scott King left the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home just after 10:30 this morning.
It was headed for the Georgia Capitol, where King will lie in state today.
Police on motorcycles escorted the horse-drawn carriage carrying the body as crowds lined the streets.
As the carriage rolled briskly through Atlanta, onlookers watched and followed on foot.
The thousands of people lined up down Mitchell Street, just south of MLK drive, Saturday morning weren’t concerned about the plummeting temperatures.
Some, like Rick Granados, of Columbus, Ohio who was at the head of the line to pay his respects to Coretta Scott King inside the state capitol, got in place at 4:30 a.m. “She was an icon in the fight for equality,� Granados said. “My business in Atlanta actually ended yesterday but I had to pay my respects.�
— Rich Eldredge
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Hardy crowd gathers as temperatures drop
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A hardy crowd of mourners gathered on the edge of Howell Park across the street from the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home, watching as horses were placed in the harnesses of carriages that will carry Coretta Scott King to the Georgia Capitol.
Priscilla Peters said she wanted to witness the historic moment for her children, “as a legacy.�
“How could you not love the Kings? How could you not be sad?� said Robin Cermak of the West End. Cermak said while Mrs. King has been described by some as the only royalty that black people have, she disagrees.
“There have been many black kings and queens, but she is royalty. She is one of them.�
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Public tributes begin for Mrs. King
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Under cloudy and windy skies in Atlanta this morning, the nation begins saying goodbye to Coretta Scott King with public tributes that will continue through Tuesday, the day of her funeral.
King, the widow of Martin Luther King Jr. who died Monday at age 78, will lie in state at the state Capitol from around noon until 8 p.m.
The weather forecast calls for showers and 20- to 30-mph winds Saturday morning and a high of 49 degrees. There is a 30 percent chance of rain today with a break in the clouds expected around 6 p.m., when temperatures are expected to drop.
Her journey to the Capitol will begin at the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home at the corner of Peeples Street and Ralph David Abernathy Avenue in southwest Atlanta.
Accompanied by her children Dexter, Bernice, Martin III and Yolanda, and other family members, King’s body will lead a horse-drawn procession at 10:30 a.m. traveling first down Ralph David Abernathy Avenue, a street named after her husband’s close associate in the civil rights movement, and eventually down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to the Capitol.
After reaching the Capitol at around 11:30 a.m., Gov. Sonny Perdue and his wife, Mary, will meet the family and casket and escort them into the Rotunda. King will be the first woman and the first African-American to lie in state at the Capitol.
After King’s body is placed in the Rotunda, the governor and King family will pay their respects privately before other family members and public officials join in between noon and 12:30 p.m. Those officials include state lawmakers, judges, former governors, and officials from the city of Atlanta and Fulton County.
At 12:30, the public will be allowed to enter the Rotunda to pay their respects. The line for the viewing will form at the corner of Mitchell and Washington streets.
Several streets around the Capitol will be closed today from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., according to the Atlanta Police Department: Mitchell Street from Central Avenue to Capitol Avenue; and Courtland Avenue/Washington Street, from Gilmer Street to Trinity Avenue.
The public is advised to use MARTA to get to the area and to use local parking garages because authorities will strictly enforce no-parking laws.
Parking will be available at two state decks near the intersection of Jesse Hill Jr. Drive and Decatur Street. Other public parking will be available near Underground Atlanta.
Visitors will not allowed to congregate in front of the Capitol on the main plaza before King’s casket arrives. They also will have to go through metal detectors to enter the Capitol and should come prepared for the security check. Individuals who are disabled or infirm may enter the Capitol through the ground floor entrance on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. They will be escorted to the main floor via elevator.
Perdue spokesman Shane Hix said those paying tribute inside the Rotunda will be allowed to have cameras.
The doors will remain open until the last person in line at 8 p.m. files through. Afterward, After a motorcade will return her body to the Willie A. Watkins funeral home.
Look for coverage throughout the day on AJC.com.
Several local TV stations said Friday planned to cover today’s tribute:
— WSB’s coverage will begin at 10:30 a.m. and continue for two hours, or until the conclusion of the Rotunda ceremony.
— WGCL plans special coverage that will begin at 11 a.m.
— WXIA is planning live coverage from 10:30 a.m. until about 12:30 p.m.
— WAGA plans coverage at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. with special reports as warranted.
Staff writers Don Plummer, Sonji Jacobs and Jill Vejnoska contributed to this report.
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