Davenport celebrates ‘milestone’ moment at new MLK Park

The new MLK Park in downtown Davenport is: A place to honor the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  A place to honor local civil rights leaders, places and events. A place to have important discussions on race, equality, voting rights and other vital topics. A place to have peaceful protests to […]

The new MLK Park in downtown Davenport is:

• A place to honor the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
• A place to honor local civil rights leaders, places and events.
• A place to have important discussions on race, equality, voting rights and other vital topics.
• A place to have peaceful protests to call for change.
• A place for artists and the arts.
• A place where families and children can have a fun time.

“It’s also a milestone … the beginning of a new era where we can touch the lives of young people,” said Bishop J.R. Horton, during a grand opening ceremony for MLK Park on Wednesday afternoon, June 19. The two-hour celebration, which attracted more than 100 people on a hot, muggy day, was filled with music, prayers, dancing, poems, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a lot of speeches by local leaders. At least 15 people spoke during the ceremony at the new park, located on a former empty lot at 501 Brady St.  Many of those speeches praised the community, businesses and various organizations for supporting the funding and building of the $1.2 million park. Many singled out Ryan Saddler, the CEO of Friends of MLK organization, and the driving force behind getting the MLK Park built.  

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  For instance, former Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba praised Mr. Saddler’s leadership and dedication to the park project. Mr. Saddler, however, said it's the local community that deserves the credit for its patience and support for a park that was years in the making. “Our community has done dynamic things. And our community has supported this,” Mr. Saddler said. During much of the ceremony, Mr. Saddler focused on the history and struggles to get the park built. (Construction was completed last October.) Many of those struggles started in 2013 when the park idea was proposed. After the proposal, there were many meetings, a park task force was formed and “I stumbled through this process,” he told the crowd. Mr. Saddler also praised city of Davenport officials – especially Mayor Mike Matson, council members, Mr. Gluba, and Bruce Berger, director of community planning and economic development – for their help and support. Mr. Saddler added that the park’s site is important because of its link to local history. The history of the property off Brady Street includes that it was the location of mixed-race restaurant, entertainment, and rooming houses from at least the 1880s to the 1940s. Also, it was home to the Blue Bird Tavern, a legendary hot jazz and dance spot in the Black part of town, Mr. Saddler said. Legend has it that young talents such as Bix Beiderbecke performed here with jazz legend Louis Armstrong. During Wednesday’s ceremony, some of that local history was on display. The park has 11 local civil rights markers on display that outline some of the local people, places and events in the civil rights movement. One tells the story of Toney’s Barber & Beauty Shop in Davenport. The business was vital because the shop was an informal meeting place for civil rights activities. “Customers and fellow civil rights workers gathered to discuss and plan civil rights activities, including actions taken by the Catholic Interracial Council and the NAACP,” the marker said. Another marker is about Cook’s Point in Davenport, a ghetto for Mexican-American families. “It was a world of shacks with no running water or electricity within the Mississippi’s floodplain. … Few knew or cared about the Cook’s Point living conditions,” according to its marker. In 1952, the Cook’s Point landowner made plans to evict the residents so a factory could be built on the site. Members of a local group called the League of Social Justice worked to find and create decent housing for the families. The markers on display honor “people who stood up for right and righteousness. … Despite the odds, they stood up for justice,” said the Rev. Rogers Kirk, pastor of Third Missionary Baptist Church in Davenport, during the grand opening ceremony. Some of the the park’s other features include: 

• A stage to host concerts and speakers.
• Space for vendors to set up.
• A structure that contains 12 plaques to honor the groups, businesses and people who financially supported the long-awaited park project. That structure is topped with the MLK quote: “The time is always right to do right.”
• There also is greenspace – consisting of artificial turf, not grass – in the middle of the park. Mr. Saddler said he wanted ground material that looks good and is low maintenance.
• There are also several benches and seats in the park.

“People have been loving the place. … One person made the comment, ‘It feels like a  welcoming space.’ That’s exactly what we want it to be,” Mr. Saddler said during an recent interview with the QCBJ. Wednesday’s grand opening was held on Juneteenth – the holiday to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. Randy Moore, president of Iowa American Water Co. and a longtime supporter of the MLK Park project, noted that he spotted a woman in the audience wearing a T-shirt that stated “Juneteenth Freeish.” He said that the word  “freeish” got his attention because it accurately shows that much has been accomplished in the civil rights movement, but much is left to be done. “That’s where we are on this particular day. …  We are not all the way there. We are ‘freeish,’” he said. Others speakers and messages delivered during Wednesday included:

• Mr. Gluba: The former mayor talked about hearing speeches made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., including when MLK visited Davenport in April 1965 to accept the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award. “He had powerful words. They inspired a lot of people. They inspired my generation,” Mr. Gluba said. The former mayor said hew hopes the new park will be a place where people will gather to discuss important topics – such as voter registration – and have peaceful protests.
• Kyle Carter, executive director of the Downtown Davenport Partnership, said he hopes the park will inspire people and help tell local stories that have been lost or “stories untold.” “This can be a North Star for where we need to go,” Mr. Carter added.
• Tim Kelly, Davenport Fifth Ward alderman, told the crowd about his family’s connection to MLK. His grandfather was a preacher in the South who worked with Dr. King. Mr. Kelly also talked about the many years of work it took to turn the dream of a park into a reality.
• Linda Andry, president and CEO of Ascentra Credit Union, said Ascentra helped the park project by making the first donation. She hopes it will be a place to honor the past and build the future.
• Michael Guster, president of the NAACP Branch 4019, called the park a great place for families and kids. He hopes it will make a lasting impression on them. “This is just the beginning,” he added.
• Kyle Gripp, alderman at large with the Davenport City Council, told the crowd he is very happy to see the site – a former “eyesore” that was filled with weeds – be transformed into a “place to celebrate.” He added that during the planning stages, he offered this advice to Mr. Saddler: “Go big and get this done.”

• Mayor Mike Matson said Davenport has been called “Iowa’s front porch.” Building on that phrase, he added the new park will be a great place to have important conversations and debates on the front porch. MLK Park, he added, will be a “beacon of hope right on America’s front porch.”