Could you face them - those who ruined your life?

Even as an individual, not his son or a blood relative, I struggled with the notion of sitting down and talking with a man whose hatred so engulfed him that he would take the life of a man who spoke nothing but peace and non-violence. For that matter, the same question would cross the mind of anyone who may be given the chance to face a perpetrator, be they a loved one's killer, a sister's rapist, a son's carjacker, your home's burglar, or an armed robber. It would be difficult to do, in the least, but what would you say? How would you treat them -- with respect or contempt? What questions would you ask and would you believe their answers? Would you accept their apology?

The Attorney General's Office in the city of Tucson has a program by which a victim can face their attacker and mediate a reasonable penance. It is fairly well established that those who participate in a negotiated or mediated compromise will be more likely to buy into (both mentally and spiritually) the agreement and appreciate the outcome. The victim will have a better understanding of the circumstances of the event, release some anger and frustrations, and learn how not to become a victim the next time - it is all sort of therapeutic. The perpetrators come face-to-face with the consequences of their actions - the victim is no longer a distant memory, lost in the celebration of loot, but now is tangible misery, to be experienced and absorbed.

But what Dexter King and James Earl Ray have done is on another level. Martin Luther King was a man of worldwide reputation and respect. At the time of his capture, James Earl Ray was depicted as a vile racist who confessed to the crime without apparent remorse. At the time, Dexter King was an 8-year-old boy. All that 8-year-old boy knew was that his father was gone, killed by someone who resembled those whom his father fought against. How can that 8- year-old boy, still inside this 36-year-old man today, forget the torment and wretchedness of those moments?

Who is to say that Dexter King has put aside that pain. Maybe he has just shelved it in that place we all put things unpleasant and out of our control. Three days after confessing to the murder, James Earl Ray apparently recanted and has been trying to obtain a new trial ever since. Apparently Dexter King, and the King family, believe him. They have always suspected a government (and military and organized crime) conspiracy surrounding the assassination and hope that if a new trial is granted, the truth will be revealed.

Perhaps.

Let us not forget the struggle of a family forced to confront a subject too painful to endure. Regardless of who murdered Martin Luther King, the fact is, he was indeed murdered. And now the agonizing process of finding out who did what, when, and where, must begin. Imagine wearing those shoes. You must confront a possible killer of a family member and ask him if he did that hellish deed. It may be easier to trust the authorities to have done their job properly, caught the right man, and leave it at that. Now, this man in his 11th hour, dying of cirrhosis of the liver, is crying "frame-up"; he is attempting to redeem his reputation of shattering the face of the civil rights movement, your father's face, with a rifle bullet, and asks you to help him perfect that redemption. An amazing dilemma, by any measure.

We have to admire what Dexter Scott King is doing and what the King family name stands for - honesty, integrity, and a commitment to the rights of everyone.

Mahatma Gandhi would be proud. We should all strive to be as committed to those values.

I am not saying to face your attackers with open arms should you have the chance. Dexter King admits that Ray is no saint and many think he had something to do with the assassination. Just remember that if rhetoric is your passion, it will come back to haunt you someday. If what Dr. King and the King family espoused was nothing more than rhetoric, Dexter would certainly have to eat his words, or more easily, refuse to meet with Ray. Dexter practiced what the good doctor preached before millions of Americans. Lets all try to do the same.

David H. Benton is a third-year law student, member of the ASUA President's Cabinet and Arizona Students' Association board member. His column, 'Another Perspective,' appears Tuesdays.

By David H. Benton (columnist)
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 1, 1997