MEMPHIS, TN (abc24.com) - What had all the makings of an ugly fight has turned into peaceful compromise.
It will be 44 years on April 4th since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered in Memphis.
City Councilwoman Janis Fullilove wanted to play bits and pieces of Dr. King's last speech in Memphis throughout the entire April 3rd council meeting as a way to honor the man, she said.
Council Chairman Bill Morrison said hey, nothing against the doctor, but we've never done that before and we're not doing it now.
This could have been ugly. Not now.
"Well, I'm glad they resolved it," said fellow Councilman Lee Harris. "I think it was a pretty easy issue. And I think both sides came together. I think they had level heads and worked out a compromise. I'm glad to hear it."
That word was "compromise." Politicians don't know the meaning of it anymore. It means both sides give a little and work out a deal that makes everybody happy.
In this case, Janis Fullilove will get five minutes to play the entire speech.
"And I think that's what the city council has done. I mean you saw that with the tax increase recently. We said no, and ten of us said no. So we came together and we said no. So I think compromise is great," Harris added.
The council members actually make deals on issues almost every day.
To see a group of people who don't do much compromising anymore, check out Congress in Washington. Memphis city government isn't as deeply divided - not yet, anyway.
