Chasing Shadows Chasing Shadows Chapter 9 Tribulation
Feb 15, 2024
Stuart Wexler, an author and researcher focused on religious and racial violence in the U.S., joins to delve into the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. He discusses the Memphis PD’s distrustful security, revealing surveillance roles and police oversight. Stuart connects J.B. Stoner to radical groups and recounts eyewitness accounts linking the Klan to suspicious activities. He outlines James Earl Ray's chaotic escape and legal battles, while critiquing law enforcement’s blind spots regarding the rising Christian Identity threat.
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Outer Perimeter Security Around King
- Martin Luther King Jr. kept informal, limited close protection while law enforcement maintained an outer perimeter 'overwatch'.
- Stuart Wexler argues this distrust of police shaped where and how security was positioned around King in Memphis.
Ed Redditt's Controversial Surveillance Role
- Ed Redditt was a black police officer assigned to surveil King, not to protect him, and his removal from a post raised suspicion.
- Wexler suggests Redditt may have been set up as a pretext to disrupt the sanitation workers' marches.
J.B. Stoner Celebrated In Mississippi
- J.B. Stoner was in Mississippi on April 4, 1968, and celebrated King's death with local white supremacists instead of going to Memphis.
- His presence in Mississippi provided him an unambiguous alibi for not being at the assassination.