THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN, Friday, Janaury 13, 2012— Page 3
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Suspect sought in Cumberland Farms armed robbery BY MARGE NIBLOCK SPECIAL TO THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
Police said they are searching for a white male suspect after an armed robbery at the 49 Pine St. Cumberland Farms convenience store at about 10:25 p.m. on Wednesday. He is described as being between 5 feet, 9 inches and 6 feet tall with a stocky build. He wore a black sweatshirt and a black ski mask, which concealed his face, police said. The man threatened the clerk with a gun and demanded money from the register, police reported. After the robber had received an undisclosed amount of cash the clerk was told to get on the floor, and the man left the store, police said. A co-worker who had been out back didn’t witness the robbery, and there were no customers in the store at the time, police said. No one was injured, and the weapon was not fired. Anyone with information is asked to call Portland Police at 874-8584 or text “GOTCHA” to 274637. RIGHT: Police released this security camera image of a suspect in a Cumberland Farms convenience store robbery which took place at about 10:25 p.m. on Wednesday. (COURTESY IMAGE)
City: King memorial ‘still a priority’ BY CASEY CONLEY THE PORTLAND DAILY SUN
A dormant city commission tasked with creating a permanent memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. is expected to re-form in the coming weeks, according to one of its co-chairs. Rachel Talbot Ross, a co-chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, said this week that support from Mayor Michael Brennan and City Manager Mark Rees should bring new energy and enthusiasm to the King memorial project. “We have not wavered in trying to get a permanent memorial for Dr. King,” said Talbot Ross, the state director for the NAACP and the director of the city’s Office of Equal Opportunity & Multicultural Affairs. She added that the commission and the monument are “still a priority for the city.” The 17-person commission was formed by the city council in January 2009 on the recommendation of a MLK Task Force. The commission’s goals are to raise funds and settle on a design for the memorial and also raise awareness for King’s principles of equality and nonviolence. The monument is planned for a plaza on the Bayside Trail situated between Planet Dog and Whole Foods. The MLK commission met regularly in 2009 and 2010, and ultimately received preliminary monument designs from seven artists. By Novem-
ber 2010, the commission had winnowed those entries to three finalists, and planned to offer $2,500 to the three artists to further refine their designs. But, the commission never met again, and the awards were never issued. Talbot Ross Talbot Ross, who co-chaired the committee with former city councilor Dan Skolnik, said the hiatus was due to changes in city leadership. Indeed, Skolnik did not seek re-election in 2010, and city manager Joe Gray announced his retirement a few weeks later. King, who is known to most people for leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott and his “I Have a Dream” speech, visited Maine at least twice, speaking at Bowdoin College and visiting the campus of what’s now University of New England in Biddeford. It’s not clear if he ever visited Portland. Although King lived in Atlanta and directed most of his energies toward racial and economic injustice in the American South, Talbot Ross says erecting a permanent monument in Portland is a fitting tribute, even if he had no direct connection to the city.
“I don’t know that Abraham Lincoln had a direct connection to that park over there,” she said, referring to Lincoln Park in downtown Portland. “Outside of Longfellow, I am not sure that is the criterion which one uses … to acknowledge impact and meaning.” “If you do your research, you will see that all over the world there are numerous memorials to Dr. King, and it just shows the breadth and the depth of a great man,” she added. “All of the George Washington memorials and statues I don’t think were based on the criteria that he actually walked
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in that space.” The only other King memorial in the state is located on the campus of University of Maine at Orono. Officially, the MLK Commission is still active, meaning it won’t require action by the city council for it to start holding meetings again. In the coming weeks, Talbot Ross planned to reach out to members who participated in the past and see who is still interested. As mayor, Brennan has authority see MEMORIAL page 6