On that early April day in 1968, I'd left my office at 12th & Penn, popped into our Austin Healy 3000, a 1967 ... the last year these cool little roadsters were imported to the US ... that was parked about 30' from the main entrance to the handsome old building that was the headquarters of the postal service. I steered it out to Pennsylvania, around the White House and up Connecticut Ave to 'R' Street, where Barb was waiting, then on to the new Washington Hilton. Finding a parking space on the street was not usually impossible, but tonight more than 3000 Democrats were gathering including most Dem House and Senate members, because President Johnson's polls were slipping badly as Vietnam War news was not good and rumors of a run by VP Hubert Humphrey, the headliner at the night's Party fundraiser, were strong ... hence a huge crowd and no street spots to slide our little car into. As luck would have it, the Hilton attendant loved our racing green Healy, and offered - for a little 'encouragement' to give it a safe spot out front. Since our tickets to the event were gratis from the PMG, I slid the guy a $20 and we made the reception in time for drinks and some glad handing before heading in to our seats - not way down front but not bad ... and close to an exit.
The event was run very well, and timely. By the time everyone was served, O'Brien gaveled down the friendly crowd, introduced the head table guests and then brought Vice-President Humphrey ... bouncing and waving into the hall to address some 2500 guests.
Humphrey was a passionate Democrat, the almost certain Democratic Presidential nominee in 1968 - and every lobbyist, and Democratic member of the House and Senate, along with a slew of party Governors, and ever good contributor in the closest five states to DC were there.
Humphrey was about halfway through his address ( I had OBrien's advance copy) when an aide slid in behind him at the lectern and passed him a note ... they spoke for a moment, the crowd buzzed in bewilderment ... and the Vice President returned to face the audience ... now a silent hall ... he announced that the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr had been shot and killed in Memphis just a few minutes before, and that his assassin was unknown.
It took Barb and I ten seconds to conclude that the dinner was over and we could get to the nearby exit, through the hotel and out to the Healy if we left instantly ... and we did.
Our car was close, the attendant had our key and we were on Connecticut Ave in three minutes more - well ahead of the crowd ... by then crushing every exit.
Realizing that many DC neighborhoods were going to react violently to the news, we needed to get across the Potomac at the first opportunity into northern Virginia and into our place in Alexandria. So down Florida Ave to 'Q' Street, across Rock Creek to Wisconsin, then to 'M' and across Key Bridge into Virginia and the Parkway to Alexandria.
As we drove, the radio reported riots were erupting all around the African American neighborhoods of DC - we could see fires all along as we drove down the river to Alexandria.
The protests and rioting grew into Baltimore, Philadelphia and other large urban centers with substantial African-American populations all over the south, Midwest, and the west coast, where for weeks, the unrest continued. No city ... or Mayor ... or Governor ... was ready for it.
