MLK ASSASSINATION ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

April 4th marks the 44th anniversary of the assassination of  U.S. civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.  A Baptist minister and founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), King had led the civil rights movement since the mid-1950s, using a combination of powerful words and non-violent tactics such as sit-ins, boycotts and protest marches (including the massive March on Washington in 1963) to fight segregation and achieve significant civil and voting rights advances for African Americans. His assassination led to an outpouring of anger among black Americans, as well as a period of national mourning that helped speed the way for an equal housing bill that would be the last significant legislative achievement of the civil rights era.

In the first hour, Richard welcomes Jerry Ray, younger brother of James Earl Ray, alleged assassin of Martin Luther King, Jr. and historian/researcher Tamara Carter to discusss one of the most significant events in modern American history – and one of the most mysterious. Jerry and Tamara reveal previously undisclosed information about James Early Ray and the events surrounding that transformative day.  They'll also discuss the failure of the U.S. government to this day to rigorously test the alleged murder weapon; a counter-narrative that indicts the mainstream media for its uncritical coverage of the official story.

GUESTS: TAMARA CARTER is an activist, a teacher, and an independent researcher of the Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK assassinations. She is also a charter member and organizer of the Coalition on Political Assassinations. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia. She is the author of  Jerry Ray; A Memoir of Injustice by the Younger Brother of James Early Ray.

JERRY RAY  is an activist and unintentional witness to the events surrounding the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination. He has appeared on Good Morning America, the Phil Donahue Show, the Tavis Smiley Show, WBZ-TV, and KNSD. He lives in McMinnville, Tennessee.

In the second hour Richard welcomes William Francis Pepper, a New York based attorney best known for his efforts to prove the innocence of James Earl Ray and RFK's alleged killer, Sirhan Sirhan. 

Martin Luther King Jr.,  contacted Pepper after seeing a photo essay Pepper had published entitled The Children of Vietnam published in the January 1967 issue Ramparts magazine depicting victims of napalm in Vietnam. Pepper maintained later that the contact contributed to King's more adamant position against the Vietnam War. Pepper was present at King's April 4, 1967 Riverside Church speech in which King launched a strong campaign against the war.

Pepper thought that King's assassination was part of a government conspiracy and became James Earl Ray's last attorney. He postulated that Ray was framed by the FBI, the CIA, the military, the Memphis police and organized crime figures from New Orleans and Memphis. He publicized his position in books and represented James Earl Ray in a televised mock trial in an attempt to get Ray the trial that he never had. Ray was found not guilty in the mock trial, though actually convicted of King's assassination.

Through his writing, King's son, Dexter King, took up the cause to prove Ray was innocent. Dexter met with Ray on March 27, 1997, at the Lois DeBerry Special Needs Facility, during which he said that he believed Ray was innocent.

Richard also welcomes a Washington-based activist, researcher,  and historian  to discuss his efforts to get the classified documents pertaining to Martin Luther King's assassination released.  Finally, Richard speaks with a New York based attorney best known for his efforts to prove the innocence of James Earl Ray, and RFK's alleged shooter, Sirhan Sirhan.

GUESTS: WILLIAM FRANCIS PEPPER is a barrister in the United Kingdom and admitted to the bar in numerous jurisdictions in the United States of America. His primary work is international commercial law. He has represented governments in the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Asia.

He was the attorney for James Earl Ray, the convicted killer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, some years after King’s death. He believes that Ray was framed by the federal government, and that King was killed by a conspiracy that involved the FBI, the CIA, the military, the Memphis police, and organized crime figures from New Orleans and Memphis. Pepper, a friend of King in the last year of his life, represented James Earl Ray in a televised mock trial in an attempt to get Ray the trial that he never had. Pepper then represented the King family in a wrongful death civil trial King family vs. Loyd Jowers and “other unknown co-conspirators.” During a trial that lasted four weeks, Pepper produced over seventy witnesses. The jury took less than an hour to find in favour of the King family for the requested sum of $100. Jowers never testified.

Dr. Pepper is heavily involved in Human Rights law, for a time convening the International Human Rights Seminar at Oxford University, during which time individuals such as Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela accepted invitations to address the seminar. He lives primarily in the United States.

JOHN JUDGE  is a co-founder of 911 CitizensWatch, a grassroots watchdog group demanding transparency and a thorough investigation by the National Commission on Terrorist Acts Upon the United States. John is also a co-founder of Committee for an Open Archives, Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA), John is currently on the board of the Washington Peace Center and has been an activist opposing war, racism and militarism since the 1960s. John is an independent researcher and lecturer on political assassinations, covert operations, hidden history, and the rise of fascism in America.