Intellectual Properties Management (IPM)
449 Auburn Avenue, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30312
RE: Formal Notification of Unauthorized Use and Political Exploitation of the Name and Likeness of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Martin Luther King Sr.
Unauthorized Commercial and Political Exploitation of the King Likeness
This letter serves to formally notify Intellectual Property Management (IPM) that the City of Stockbridge, Georgia, has moved forward with the renaming of Lee Street to Doctor M.L.K. Jr. Way and the erection of a statue of Martin Luther King Sr. While the city presents these actions as a tribute, the factual record suggests a clear misuse of the King name and likeness to provide a “good headline” that distracts from deep municipal failures.
The Georgia Supreme Court has long recognized a right of publicity regarding Dr. King’s likeness—specifically to prevent unauthorized commercial and promotional exploitation. The City is currently utilizing these names to brand a Tax Allocation District (TAD #1), a commercial redevelopment effort designed to attract over $300 million in private investment and apartment developments.
We believe this use of the King legacy as a marketing tool for municipal real‑estate speculation, without the authorization of the Estate, constitutes an actionable misuse of intellectual property.
Erasing Historical Dissent for Political Optics
The justification for the name change on Lee Street is predicated on a false historical narrative. City leadership claimed Lee Street was a tribute to Confederate General Robert E. Lee that required purging. However, historical research reveals the street was named for a prominent local family whose patriarch, Samuel G. Lee, was a Unionist mill owner who openly preached against secession during the Civil War. His great grandson, Mayor Robert E. “Uncle Bob” Lee (1927‑1952), was responsible for the physical modernization and electrification of the city. Under Bob lee’s Mayorship in the late 1940’s and early 50’s, all races ate together at Carrie Mae Hambrick’s Green Front Cafe. Those words are quite literally written upon the historical marker found there. Mayor Bob Lee never interfered with the operations of Floyd Chapel Baptist. It is true to say, he was the mayor of the town where the King Family movement began.
By fabricating a “Confederate” history to justify the use of Dr. King’s name, the City Council is not only infringing on the King intellectual property but also erasing a local legacy Lee family & other Piedmont Dissenters voicing 2/3rds opposition to seceding the Union in this area. Those are the same values of constitutional loyalty that Dr. King himself championed.
The ethical standing of two proponents of the triumvirate vote that enacted this, Council members Lakeisha Gantt and Elton Alexander, raises further concerns regarding the integrity of this “tribute.”
Councilwoman Lakeisha Gantt: In 2019, the Supreme Court of Georgia issued a Review Board Reprimand to Councilwoman Gantt for professional negligence. She admitted to violating professional rules regarding reasonable diligence and communication after an adoption matter she was hired to handle in 2014 was not completed until 2018, causing a three‑year delay for her clients.
Councilman Elton Alexander: Councilman Alexander’s tenure has been defined by a federal lawsuit alleging he used his office to harass a local small‑business owner. After Alexander reportedly demanded “$60 in free food from a barbecue restaurant and was asked to pay,” he allegedly used code enforcement to retaliate against the owner. This resulted in a $1.7 million settlement paid by the city’s insurance.
For the sake of brevity, we’ll set aside their domestic violence arrest records.
Misuse of the King Name to Mask Financial Crisis
The push for these symbolic gestures appears to be a calculated attempt to use the Reverend’s name to cover deep financial problems. Stockbridge is currently still reeling from a $32.9 million budget amendment to cover the losses from the amphitheater. The city’s Finance Director, Frank Milazi, admitted in a public session that the council had been provided with “two sets of reports” and said, “So we misled you.” These misleading reports mask staggering overruns for the city’s amphitheater, which constantly faces staggering shortfalls every year and was constructed without the required competitive sealed‑bidding for vendors or naming rights.
The financial climate prior to these amendments was so reckless that former City Manager Frederick Gardiner warned the council he was not willing to risk a “orange jumpsuit” or go to jail for their decisions before he departed the city’s employ 6 months later. I characterize the renaming as a “deception” used to generate positive press during a time of intense scrutiny over allegations of mismanagement and embezzlement.
Misuse of the King Name to Hide False Blight Designation
Perhaps the most egregious action being masked by the city’s symbolic tributes is the calculated use of the Redevelopment Powers Law to target a diverse neighborhood where Black and White residents have historically lived in a rare spirit of fellowship. While the council focuses on the “political optics” of renaming streets, the actual implementation of Tax Allocation District #1 marks approximately 323 existing housing units—representing the homes of hundreds of Stockbridge citizens—for potential “rehabilitation” or displacement. These residents, specifically those on Bryant and Lee Streets, are currently at risk of losing their homes because the city has officially designated their community as a “blighted or distressed area” characterized by “pervasive poverty” and “substandard” structures. By using these powers to facilitate over $300 million in private real estate speculation, the city is effectively “redlining” legacy neighbors under the guise of progress. This designation serves as a convenient tool to cover up the true intent of the plan: manipulating real estate values in the historic core while using Dr. King’s name to provide a “good headline” that distracts from the potential uprooting of an integrated community.
Absolutely none of what they say about mine or my neighbors homes, local crime, delinquency or the character of my neighborhood bears one single iota of evidence upon inspection of my community.
We urge Intellectual Property Management to investigate this matter and take the necessary steps to ensure that the name and likeness of the King family are not exploited to provide cover for municipal malfeasance.
