</s>APPROVED FOR RELEASE 2025 UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 14176 201 RESISTANCE INFORMATION REPORT Trends and Developments, WDC, Week ending: 10 May 1968 FOOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN 2. Indications are that the Poor People's Campaign (PPC) will accelerate rapidly as a potential problem in control, housing, feeding, and recreation from the time of the arrival of the vanguard, Saturday and Sunday May 14 and IL at least through 30 May, which is the projected date for a giant March and demonstration through downtown Washington, D.C. Monday, May 13, is the initial group to march across a Pomona bridge (presumably Memorial) to a site on which they intend to erect their so-called "City of Hope" or

Summary  
The document details planning for the Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) and related protests in Washington, D.C., scheduled from May 14–30, 1968. Key events include a planned rally at Cardozo School playground on May 13, 1968, followed by a campsite setup. The PPC aims to establish a "City of Hope" or "Resurrection City" near the mall area or Bolling Air Force Base, with multiple caravans arriving from the Midwest and South. Bernard Lafayette Jr., coordinator of the PPC, is described as planning civil disobedience and disruption, including potential international attention due to its anti-Vietnam War focus. The document notes Black Nationalists in Los Angeles declaring May 19 a "black holiday" and linking demonstrations to anti-war sentiments. It also references FBI reports on Lafayette’s ties to SCLC, SNCC, and peace movements against Vietnam. Civil disturbances are predicted in Georgetown and Connecticut Avenue areas for May 13–14, 1968.  

Key People  
- Bernard Lafayette Jr.: Coordinator of the Poor People’s Campaign, former SNCC field secretary, close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., involved in anti-Vietnam War activities.  
- Coretta King: Wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., scheduled to address a revolutionary audience per Lafayette’s plan.  
- Ralph Abernathy: Chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), referenced as a speaker for the PPC.  

Key Locations  
- Washington, D.C.: Central site for the PPC’s "City of Hope" or "Resurrection City," with proposed locations near the mall area and Bolling Air Force Base.  
- Cardozo School playground: Site of a planned rally on May 13, 1968.  
- Georgetown and Connecticut Avenue areas: Reported sites of potential civil disturbances in late May 1968.  

Key Events  
- Planning for the Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) to culminate in a large march on May 30, 1968, with demonstrations against the Vietnam War.  
- Black Nationalists declaring May 19 as a "black holiday" and organizing wide-scale demonstrations.  
- Anticipated civil disturbances in Washington, D.C., linked to protests and tensions during the PPC.  

Key Organizations  
- Poor People’s Campaign (PPC): Central focus of the document, aiming for mass mobilization and anti-Vietnam War expression.  
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC): Mentioned as an organization connected to Lafayette and Abernathy.  
- Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC): Lafayette’s prior affiliation; referenced in FBI reports.  
- Communist Party of Illinois: Noted for supporting the PPC’s mass demonstration on May 30, 1968.

MLK Declassified Files

00017983_resistance_information_re.pdf

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