Hundreds of Sacramento residents marched today from the Oak Park Community Center to the downtown Convention Center to honor the memory and dreams of our America’s most enduring symbol of racial harmony and civil rights, the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite the cold weather people marched and witnessed the procession to honor Dr. King and to show their support for continuing his work to create a more just society that works for citizens of all racial backgrounds.

“Sacramento City Councilwoman Lauren Hammond was thrilled people of all races took part. But she says the struggle for justice continues. She continued, “when you look at how many people are homeless, when you see how people fight about undocumented immigrants and they’re not getting paid what they’re worth - so it’s not over, and we should keep marching.”

Oak Park real estate developer Manny Fernandez was also on the scene today to show his support for the improvements that he has seen in the area. “Councilmember Hammond has been very instrumental in helping create the conditions that have allowed Oak Park to become a better place to live. She and the UC Davis Med Center are the two most powerful forces that have led the way to a better future for Oak Park’s residents.”

Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 in the prime of his life, but his message of nonviolence lives on today in the minds of millions of his countrymen. Deborah Randall, a resident of Oak Park for 10 years said, “I’m glad that I came out here today with my son and daughter to support Martin Luther King’s vision and to show my children that there is always hope for a better tomorrow.”

The Oak Park area of Sacramento has had an unfortunate reputation as a place plagued by violence, gangs, and drugs, but it has been improving. Property values in the area have risen in the past few years thanks to young families, first-time homebuyers, and businesses who have chosen to locate in the area. This rise in values mirrors the overall rise in the Sacramento region’s real estate values, but according to real estate experts, the area is still poised for greater growth than the rest of the region which has been stuck in a downward spiral.

Tags: , Councilmember Hammond, manny fernandez oak park, oak park, UC Davis Med Center

This entry was posted on Monday, January 15th, 2007 at 9:10 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.