After announcing that the police officers responsible for the shooting death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in November of last year, Budish called for calm, channeling the words of Martin Luther King Jr:
“I pray that our citizens will follow the words and non-violent actions of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: ‘We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence,’” Budish stated, referencing King’s 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech.
The backlash to Budish’s use of King’s words was immediate.