Civil Rights Groups Oppose MLK Monument at Stone Mountain

A proposal to erect a monument to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. atop Georgia's Stone Mountain is getting a chilly reception from some of the civil rights groups that King worked with.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King co-founded, and the Atlanta and DeKalb branches of the NAACP say they oppose placing a tribute to King near the figures of three Confederate leaders engraved on the mountain outside Atlanta.

SCLC President Charles Steele said Tuesday that a reference to King doesn't belong near the carving of "three traitors."

Officials with the groups say they will meet Wednesday with Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to discuss the issue.

A Confederate heritage group also has opposed the King monument at Stone Mountain.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported on the proposal Sunday. 

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