30 Jun: Ron has two inspirations to help "Black Lives Matter" and he has put up a web page (click here.)
Number one is for all those black professional athletes who are interviewed after every professional game to start their speech by first encouraging everyone to get an education. Those athletes can help make Black Lives Matter with inspirational words such as "Study and get an education. I would not be where I am today if I had failed to get an education. I thank all my teachers and coaches who pushed me to get an education."
Number two is for every TV show featuring black performers to end their show with similar statements. How many of you remember the "Red Skeleton Show?" His final words, "God bless" left an indelible impression.
We had a nice visit with Nina at Harry's Roadhouse. Although we were unable to sit in their patio garden, we did sit in the adjacent open-air porch. Conversation was preoccupied with distress over the current situation in our country, but at least we three agree on the problems and causes. The biggest problem is that the media is brainwashing Americans by repeating slogans and falsehoods endlessly. We can all agree that some of the media channels are lying - because they report "news" with which we disagree - they must be lying. (None of the channels actually report news anymore; it is all opinion.) Why can so few of us imagine that our cherished media is also lying? Another problem is that the media is encouraging hate, encouraging people to hate the opposition.
29 Jun: Up, xercized, et, and ready to go visit, but when Ron called Lupe, she said another day would be better, so Ron can do his mending until 1 PM when we go see John and Linda. After replying to e-mail from a friend, Ron Googled coronavirus BMI and found a great article (click here.). One article said that 78% of coronavirus deaths are people who are overweight or obese. Another suggested that the most severe complications are among people who are overweight or obese. Another said that hospitalized patients were most likely to be overweight or obese. Another said that the young patients dying in a hospital were all overweight or obese. So why does our vaunted media refuse to publish such alarming news and fail to strongly advocate a healthy diet and exercise? Follow the money: who pays for advertising? Ron concludes that our news and media has sold out to the "fast food industry."
28 Jun, Sunday: We both slept wonderfully well despite the late hour of retiring. We had to rush through our exercises in order to order breakfast before the 9 AM cut-off. After eating we walked over to Arroyo Chamisa for a good walk on the asphalt pathway for a couple of hours. Ron's sister relayed the exciting news that a cousin sent the will and probate of Nicholas Faust, a newly discovered ancestor, father of George Rambo's wife Maria Fist. It is now 1 PM, and we are Staying At Home (in the hotel) until 3 PM when we can visit Michael and Claire for a couple of Social Distancing hours and then meet Mike and Maria at Radish and Rye for a Social Distancing dinner. The hard part is that Cynthia has a dickens of a time trying to read lips through face masks. Amusing that social convention now requires everyone to cite their precautionary habits of the last several weeks before friends can relax about pandemic paranoia and remove face coverings while maintaining a respectful 6 to 8 feet distance while conversing in the open air. Fortunately, we all relaxed enough to see smiles and read lips. The conversations were quite lovely and seldom touched on the disgusting political or societal events surrounding us all. Children and grandchildren and even great-grandchildren held center stage. Ron got to bed late (11:30) after walking while eating pretzels until turning around and walking while talking on the phone.
27 Jun: Today's delightful visit was with Charlie & Sam and Mark at the outdoor patio of Harry's Road House. Cynthia and I arrived as Mark was parking his blue pickup in our favorite spot under a shade tree. He left room for us, so fisticuffs were avoided. Despite the grim news nowadays, we enjoyed our familiar humorous slants on everything. Charlie had been in Richmond, Virginia during the latest reported protests and reported that they didn't see any unrest - thereby confirming Ron's belief that the media is full of lies and exaggerations. Mark had a raft of new photos from the distant past to show Charlie. Ron found it amusing that Charlie and Mark kept their face masks on until food was served, then forgot to resume face masks after eating. The waitress failed to tell us that our omelets came with toast and potatoes, so Ron was stuffed by the time he finished both plates and the pancakes. It was very good and tasted mostly oil-free. Our waitress was the sourpuss, but after we finished eating, I asked the Maitre-d' if he needed our table. The waitress said they needed it, but the Maitre-d' said they were not busy, so we stayed reveling in the conversation for three hours. By the time we left, it was too hot to walk, so we waited until 7:30 to go for a short walk. After discovering that we did not bring water, we returned to the hotel, and Ron resumed walking alone, talking to Janie until after 9.
26 Jun: We did not realize that we had to order breakfast before 9 AM and were ten minutes late, so we had to eat our own oatmeal and berries in the room. Google showed Ron the Villa Linda Park beside the Mall as a good place for us to walk, and we enjoyed walking for an hour and a half through the chain-link-fenced bedroom of dozens of (absent) homeless folks. After misdirecting someone from Albuquerque, we discovered the improved part of Villa Linda Park on the other corner of the Mall. After finishing our refreshing walk, we drove over to visit Tony in his back yard wearing our masks. Tony is following strict orders from his children to Stay Home, Stay Alive, Social Distance, Wear Masks, etc. It was fun to see Tony showing amusement with his eyes, even if we could not see his lips smile. We enjoyed dinner at Harry’s Roadhouse again followed by another walk. Santa Fe is fearful.
25 Jun: Ron took the bike to the Santa Fe BMW shop where they confirmed that the stuttering indicates that a coil needs to be replaced, now scheduled for July 2. The afternoon was marvelous at Harry's Roadhouse eating on their lovely outdoor patio adorned with hollyhocks, etc. and enjoying great conversation with Janie, her brother, Paul, and Mark. We all decided that we had beaten the dead horses of politics and viruses to death and need not revisit those conversations again while we are in Santa Fe.
24 Jun: Up! Up! And Out, by 11:14 AM. The projected ride from Gallup to Santa Fe was 2.5 hours, but we took roads less traveled, arriving 5.5 hours later, with Cynthia being thirsty, hungry, and tired. North on US 491 (14 miles) to R on Navajo Service Road 9 E (40 miles) through Standing Rock to Crownpoint to L on NM 371 N (3 miles) to R on NM 57 Navajo Service Road 9 E to NM 197 (but here Ron missed the unmarked turn onto the unlabeled Torreon Mission Road) so we continued 30 miles extra to Cuba, NM, R on US 550 S another extra 20 miles before Ron found a Dollar Tree and on to L on I-25 N to Cerrillos Road into Santa Fe and the Hilton Doubletree. After we turned onto US 550 in Cuba, Ron was looking for any safe place to pull over to feed Cynthia a Fiber D'lish bar, not knowing that she was overheated, but once we stopped at the Dollar Tree half an hour later, Cynthia was overheated, woozy and disoriented. She refused the Fiber D'lish, used the bathroom, drank some water and felt feeble. We resumed riding, and as the water re-hydrated her, Cynthia began to feel much better so that she was good to go to the hotel by the time we arrived in Bernallio. For an early dinner that afternoon at the hotel, Cynthia celebrated survival with a glass of wine! While en route to Wally World for groceries, Ron stopped at Santa Fe BMW to get an appointment for a diagnosis for ten-thirty AM tomorrow.
23 Jun: Today's plan is to check out as early as possible (for us) and hit the Indian highways towards Santa Fe. Wish us luck. 11:14 AM, we are packed and checking out. The forecast is a high of 88 at Flagstaff and 94 at Gallup, NM on our five to six-hour ride. The Indian highways have usually very light traffic and today was no exception. I recall one gas station between Flagstaff and Gallup, to use a restroom. We won’t need to fill the gas tank until we reach Gallup. We did exactly that and arrived by 7:39 PM. The views riding across the reservations are amazing. Wynn, the Indian highways show up on Google but not on US roadmaps. Arizona 64 S from Tusayan to US 180 E to Flagstaff, L on Forest Ave becomes Cedar becomes Lockett to R on N. Fanning (2 blocks) to L on US 89 N/E to R on Townsend-Winona Road to L on Leupp Road aka Indian Route 15 to Indian Wells (80 miles), L on AZ 77 (3 miles) to R on Indian Route 15 to Burnside, R on US 191 to AZ 264 through Window Rock to US 491 S into Gallup, R on W. Mahoney to the HGI at the I-40 interchange.
22 Jun: Up, exercised, fed, and preparing to hike while also preparing to recycle to go. We saw an elk as we rode into the park, first elk in three days. It was HOT, so we took a short walk through the woods from the Village Market to the Rim Trail and returned when we came to the "Greenway" that doesn't show on Cynthia's phone GPS. Not a very industrious day for hiking, but we both felt that the heat necessitated a bit more caution, given the last couple of days. For once, by bedtime, Ron is nearly all packed and ready for tomorrow. The motorcycle is still stuttering, but there is no dealer within 200 miles, so we will hope for the best and ride 500 miles to Santa Fe.
21 Jun: Tomorrow. We wonder how Cynthia will feel after yesterday's hike. She said she feels great but is taking a day of rest with the DNA Painter. And how will Ron feel after hiking three miles down into the Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail? He felt great after hiking down and great again at the 1 1/2 mile mark coming back up, but soon after resuming uphill he hit the wall and was progressively wearier despite following a beautiful young female athlete, heptathlete Lauren Doll. Lauren had hiked down to the three-mile rest stop with her mother, who turned around there while Lauren continued down to Indian Gardens with another few people they had met hiking. She came up to the three-mile rest stop and water station just after Ron and left just 5 seconds ahead of him. Ron had no problem keeping up with her pace for that first mile and a half, and she was quite surprised that he could keep up. Imagine that Ron was able to talk uphill the entire time following a fast-moving female !! At the 1 1/2 mile rest and water stop, Lauren noticed three mountain sheep on a rocky precipice. They were hard to see and to identify there, but shortly above that stop, Lauren pointed them out again, and it was easy to see that they were mountain sheep, not goats. Ron's legs began to tire significantly after another half mile uphill and his pace began to slow. Fortunately, that area of the trail demands that one stop to look at the scenery every hundred yards or two, or at least that is what Ron told Lauren. About a half-mile from the rim we stopped to visit for 10 minutes with Lauren's mother, another lovely lady. Ron recovered completely and was able to resume hiking rapidly uphill. Now, however, after sitting in the room and eating a meal, he may never be able to move again. The statistics were 1 hour and 30 minutes down to the 3-mile rest stop versus 2 hours back up to the rim.
20 Jun: Ron awoke at 5:30, well-rested, and was unable to get back to sleep. We are up, exercised, pilled, and preparing for our day of hiking. Ron is realizing that departure is only three days away and he had better begin by taking recycling elsewhere. We hiked 4.5 miles to The Abyss and encountered two delightful, young, hopeful and bright, actresses and their marvelous dad. Ron will expound on this terrific family after eating. Unfortunately, Ron's forgettory is much better than his memory, so he remembers that the father's name was Rob and the younger daughter was Lisa, but he cannot remember the name (Allie?) of the 20-year-old dyslexic math and science whiz who intends to go to MIT after beginning for a couple of years at Cornell. Agreed that the entire family was delightful and the kids DNA is going to be quite a thorough mixture, dad being half Kenyan and mom being half Chinese. Cynthia had not felt well early AM, and then became nauseous at the Abyss with a headache and threw up. She rode back to Canyon Village in an ambulance, after being fully checked by paramedics. Her blood sugar was elevated, suggesting dehydration. Ron was freed to hike back to Canyon Village at an aerobic pace. The motorcycle has started "stuttering" at times, suggesting an ignition problem such as a bad coil.
19 Jun: And we hiked close to seven miles today on a mule trail along the south rim, east of the South Kaibab Trail, and we met a lovely family with friends in a delightful picnic area. We saw one mule deer and one elk. Ron has been curious about the number of deaths in nursing homes and Forbes published an article saying that at least 42% of all deaths occurred in nursing home populations (click here.) In some states that figure was 70% of all reported deaths. Once we arrived home, we both fell asleep over our computers. The hotel WiFi is abysmal; Cynthia is very frustrated by the internet, trying unsuccessfully to work on several projects. Ron posted 2020_March_annual_letter to his website and wrote another letter informing Santa Fe friends that we expect to be arriving there on June 24th. Cynthia immediately booked a room at the Doubletree because their rates are within our price range, thanks to lower tourism this year. Since it is a Hilton property, they will allow us to cancel daily up to 24 hours before the reservation.
17 Jun: We did ride to Williams, AZ, and arrived at 10:30. The wind was terrible and there was a lot of traffic headed north, so the Grand Canyon is getting busier. Cynthia did get her document notarized and mailed ASAP. We did save money on groceries, but the gas was still $3.29 per gallon for premium. Ouch, no savings there. After returning by 3 PM, we didn't hike very far, despite good intentions. Instead, we sat on the first convenient shady rocks after the steep uphill beyond the Hermit's Rest shuttle bus terminal. Before our breathing was back to normal, a lovely young female asked if we went to MIT. (We were both wearing MIT ball caps.) Katherine graduated from MIT in materials science in 1998. She is a substitute teacher for the school at Grand Canyon Village, which boasts about 300 students total enrollment. The other young lovely was Shannon, a Navajo who works for Xanterra in the Canyon. They both love the Canyon and enjoy living in a place that makes hiking as easy as walking. We had a delightful conversation with these two for nearly two hours !! We covered a whole range of subjects, and Ron told several of his favorite stories. (One has to wonder how many stories he could tell if his memory were better.) Katherine's husband, Steve, is an overachiever athlete who has run to the river and back in slightly over 3 hours and has run rim-to-rim-to-rim (42 miles) in a comparably short time. Cynthia was curious to know how Shannon had escaped from becoming another typical reservation "statistic," and Shannon gave entire credit to her coach. Both girls played basketball in school, but they haven't played a game since meeting each other. These two delightful mothers made our day. Our evening afterward was short and sleep was very welcome.
16 Jun: Did we sleep well or not? We did sleep well, woke up late, and were out the door to hike at 1 PM. We parked in a different spot in the same picnic lot close to the Yaki Point Road and were astonished to see Alex and his son again at the parking lot. They had quite the adventure, hiking to the river before the son started experiencing cramps on the return. They slept out along the trail at times and had just emerged when we parked. Both were euphoric on their achievement. Cynthia and I again walked through the woods on a well-worn path to the South Kaibab Trail. Then we followed the rim trail for a couple of miles to Mather Point and beyond before returning. Fortunately, it was a "cool" and windy day, so we enjoyed a great hike and met a new teacher, 30-year-old Will from Georgia who teaches 3rd grade and loves it. His first six months were in an Atlanta ghetto school and that was trying. Four of sixteen kids were willing to learn; the rest were constantly behaving badly. Will agreed with Ron's perplexity about the rioting ghetto folks who refuse to educate themselves to qualify for better jobs and who waste government money on liquor and drugs while neglecting their children for whom that government money is nominally intended. Then they riot and loot and burn all the businesses that provided jobs. It is a really messed up system that pays people to raise large families of neglected children who refuse education and refuse to behave. After our hike, we resupplied at the grocery store and saw two elk as we left the park and three big bucks in a lot across from the hotel. 8:28 now, we are preparing for bed early tonight. Amazing, tonight I found a no-nonsense article from the Boston Globe about the correlation between overweight and coronavirus hospitalizations and deaths (click here.)
15 Jun: let's hope for a good night's sleep. Exercised, oatmealed, and we were off to the South Kaibab Trail. Parking was limited, and parking in the shade was almost non-existent. Creative genius Ron parked across the front of the cars, but still within the parking area. Getting out again was a challenge, but he did it. We met a delightful newly-wed couple, Mark and Cindy Lou Who, from Phoenix, plus a couple more folks interested in Ron’s adventure stories about previous hikes before we started down the trail. We stepped aside for a couple of younger guys to pass us, and instead, Ron fell into rapt conversation with Alex, the father. Cynthia could not keep up the pace and turned back after 15 minutes while Ron continued hiking rapidly downhill with Alex and son for another thirty minutes or more. Neither of us had trouble with the return. Ron was delighted to discover that his legs and breathing were normal for his entire rapid uphill return. Apparently, he has acclimated to the altitude here (7,000 feet.) When it is cooler, we will try it again. Maybe we won’t park the bike in the same place. After a lovely salmon dinner at the Grand Hotel across the street, Ron became fascinated by Sistah Carol's multi-colored chromosome chart from DNA Painter until 10 PM. Differently colored segments indicate DNA from different great grandparent couples. All this through analysis of cousins who match, some of whom know their ancestry too. About 1/4 of Ron's DNA is already mapped to specific ancestral couples. Sistah Carol is pretty amazing (even if she did abuse poor little brother Ronnie when they were younger.)
14 Jun, Sunday: Sunday was mere minutes away when Ron realized that he had better get to bed ASAP ... except it didn’t happen until two-thirty AM. We are so slow-moving and groggy today. It is nearly noon, and Ron still hasn’t eaten breakfast. Well, those two cousins that he e-mailed last night sent new messages, and Ron felt compelled to reply again. We finally exited the room after three PM. We went for a short hike that turned into a fascinating five-mile hike because we met a lovely young couple. Julianna was wearing a shirt with a Montgomery County, Texas Logo. How much fun we had walking the Timeline Trail with them back to their car. After returning to our motorcycle and buying a fresh supply of carrots, etc., we exited the park, scanning the forests for elk. We have been seeing one or several every day, and today was no exception. Two elk were grazing the shoulders of the road as we passed the entrance station. Our hotel and the park seem a bit busier today. Perhaps our secret about the Park being vacant is getting out.
13 Jun: Another slow start to our morning. Another day without the usual crowds at the Grand Canyon. After mandatory exercises and oatmeal, Ron mended underwear briefly (pun intended) and recovered this June blog that Cynthia accidentally deleted. Now we are prepared to go hiking, and Cynthia agrees that Hermit's Rest is an appropriate direction for today. That asphalt pathway is rough and uneven, which seems better for Cynthia's osteo-athritic feet. She is quite amazed that taking MSM stops arthritic pain. We successfully hiked 8.1 miles, roundtrip, reaching the Mohave Point on the Rim Trail. Beyond Hopi Point, the rim trail becomes a nice, smooth rock and sandy gravel trail, an entirely different, natural experience compared to the asphalt pathway previous to Hopi. The Canyon is indescribable; the color changes as light and shadows move and reflect on the mountains. How fun to see Gwen Frost again, and today she wore a found gown! Dinner tonight was a baked potato and sweet corn at the Yippee-Ei-O Steakhouse; we won’t return. And again Ron is up too late, this time researching the Watts riots to find out if the Watts neighborhood ever recovered. The answer appears to be no, things are about the same or worse.
 |
| Jean Francois' newest home (Ron & Cynthia in foreground |
 |
| Ron & Cynthia - photo credit to Jean Francois |
 |
| The Smooches at Grand Canyon |
 |
| Is my hair really THAT white now? |
 |
| Ron and Cynthia at the Hopi Point in the Grand Canyon |
10 June: At the Grand Canyon, oatmeal made in the microwave works since there are very few restaurants open. After hiking along the east rim, Ron ventured down the very steep Grandview Trail towards Horseshoe Mesa just long enough to get winded on the return. Cynthia stopped short of any real descent. Ron loves telling people about his first experience hiking on this trail in the 1970s. We crammed lots of fresh veggies and fresh fruit into the room refrigerator. The Canyon Village Market in the National Park is better stocked and less expensive than the Tusayan General Store. Strange to have a warm day immediately after such a cold yesterday. We are also enjoying seeing the same blooming cacti that we learned to love in Sedona.
9 Jun: Breakfast at the Best Western cost $60 for two omelets and a bowl of fruit. Now broke and well-fed, we are off on the motorcycle (fully bundled against 60-degree temperatures) to the Grand Canyon for sightseeing, hiking, and groceries. Our first Grand Canyon experience was riding the road out to Navaho Point near the east entrance to the Park. There was wonderfully little traffic and no Park Rangers en route, so Ron had a fun time with all the twisties. Navaho Point overwhelmed Cynthia with colors and textures, a multitude of shades of red, rose and green laid down on a patchwork canvas of immense size and depths. Towards six PM, we rode within 10 feet of an elk as we left Grand Canyon Village en route to shop for groceries at the Canyon Village Market. Life is grand !!
8 June: What a day! Yuk, our lodging for this evening canceled because they don’t have their restaurant open yet. Cynthia quickly found another hotel twenty-five miles closer for only ten dollars more a night. The trip to the Grand Canyon started poorly with a stop-and-go traffic jam on I-17 in the middle of nowhere (due to a brush fire) for 3 miles before we could exit at Black Canyon City. Ron discovered a parallel road heading north which appeared to bypass most of the stopped traffic - - - until we encountered the Deputy County Sheriff standing in the middle of the road who told us that the fire was at that next entrance ramp, so it was now closed. We returned to the Rock Springs Cafe and enjoyed a great southwestern salad. By the time we were ready to leave Ron decided to return to chat with the deputy again, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that entrance ramp now open, whereby we avoided twenty minutes of very slow traffic. We had much cool temperatures for the remainder of our ride to the Grand Canyon. And then the wind whipped up strong with cold blustery blasts necessitating jackets. Today Flagstaff really seemed to be the coldest place in the US of A. We ate a hearty breakfast type dinner at Denny's and thereafter hooked up Cynthia’s heated gear. With the sun blinding our eyes, we ventured forth once again northward and westward. Highlights of that Arizona highway 80 were seeing a large mule deer cross the road ahead of us, and he was still standing in the forest nearby when we passed by. Even more fun was to see an ungainly moose galloping across the road. Ron didn't watch da Moose as well as he could have because he was alert for others following him. We arrived in Tusayan close to dark, both cold and tired. Our hotel has a 20% occupancy rate.
7 Jun, Sunday: The Smooches Reunited. Whoopie !! Cynthia’s flight to PHX was delayed an hour in departure. Ron had time to arrange a few delights in the room to welcome his beloved WeeFee home.
 |
| Da Beautiful WeeFee all dressed up |
 |
| Paul, Jon, Rox, and Julie surrounding Mom |
 |
| Mom & Julie |
6 Jun: Ron again spent the day mending up at the top of Mt. Lemmon, and amused himself for another hour hiking around the summit trails and down hill for quite a way. Upon the return, he realized that he is no longer in the kind of shape it takes to hike at those altitudes easily.
Cynthia had dinner with her children, and a fine time was had by all. (The pictures tell the story.)
 |
| Adam, Samantha, Cynthia, Jon and Steven at the Yacht Club |
4 Jun: Again Ron did not sleep very well. The pine straw helped, but the night was cold and much windier, so his sleeping gear was inadequate. Sleep was also hampered by rain. RAIN in Arizona, who ever woulda guessed. Well, the elevation was nearly 8,000 feet, so climate is different there. Ron spent the day with cousin Jim W. in Sierra Vista, AZ. He does not have access to internet for his computer.
Cynthia had a doctor appointment and drive to see Sasha for a haircut.
 |
| Great grandmother and baby Blair |
Cynthia, in Texas at Jon and Tina’s house, tossed and turned. We sleep better together. Cynthia had an appointment with Bambi, followed by lunch with granddaughters and new baby Blaire, plus a trip to the pharmacy and the audiologist.
2 Jun: After breakfast at IHOP, the hotel shuttle ferried Cynthia to the airport, where she took off on two wings and a prayer to Houston town. Sneaky Ron accompanied her on the shuttle, then put a lovely card into the mail, hoping that it would arrive while she was at her son Jon's house in Montgomery, TX. He then rode south in 105+ degree temperatures (crazy at this time of year) to Mount Lemmon northeast of Tucson. En route he planned to stop at Walmart and buy a sleeping bag and foam pad, perhaps a tent. He found a Walmart north of Tucson and spent $30 on sleeping bag, foam pad and liner, but the tent was too expensive. The bonus was discovering a Whole Foods where he bought veggies for dinner and for the next two days. Once he arrived at Mt. Bigelow Road, a dirt road, Ron gingerly maneuvered his huge motorcycle up hill and down and around a few corners until he found a less occupied area and a nice wide parking spot. Then he walked up a steep hill to find a nice level camping spot, home for the night. By the time he had hung his "bear bag" it was dark enough to go to sleep. The plan is to ride further south to Sierra Vista, AZ on Thursday to visit cousin Jim W. The media has done a terrific job of making everyone paranoid, so that, even though we are among the healthiest people on the planet, most people are too paranoid to see us face to face.
1 Jun: The news of continuing mass looting and pillaging, masquerading as "justifiable" black rioting, caused sleeplessness and anger. Ron is convinced that most of these stores will never reopen and that blighted area will just become more urban ghettos. How can everyone be so stupid from the "rioters" aka looters to the mayors who told the police to allow them to "express their anger" without using force to stop them? This is a very disturbing precedent. It is Ron's guess that those emboldened "rioters" will next be looting private residences. No problem as long as they leave the mayor's home alone. After packing up we headed out on two wheels to Phoenix, arriving in 106 degree temperatures. Our favorite restaurant, Ruby Tuesday, was not open so we munched on spinach, carrots, and popcorn until the hotel shuttle whisked us to IHOP for omelets.
After SCLC initiated its Chicago Campaign that fall, Martin Luther King asked an audience there: “What did Watts accomplish but the death of thirty-four Negroes and injury to thousands more? What did it profit the Negro to burn down the stores and factories in which he sought employment? The way of riots is not a way of progress, but a blind ally of death and destruction which wreaks its havoc hardest against the rioters themselves” (King, 12 March 1966).
