Amid Protests, President Visits Atlanta

Several hundred protesters greeted President Bush Thursday as he laid a wreath at the tomb of Martin Luther King Jr. to celebrate the slain civil rights leader on what would have been his 75th birthday.

Some demonstraters pushed past the barricades set up by the Secret Service to protest Bush's brief visit.

Two people were arrested as some crowd members pushed toward the street in front of King's tomb, abandoning a designated area several hundreds yards away.

More Resources Video on Demand: Jovita Moore reports-Bush in Atlanta Video on Demand: Carrie Edwards reports SLIDE SHOW: Images from a presidential visit wsbtv.com: More About MLK King CenterKing Holiday Events (AJC)

Authorities responded by parking three city buses on the street to block the protesters from the president's motorcade. Some protesters pounded on the side of the buses.

No one was injured and the crowd remained peaceful, dispersing soon after the president's 15-minute stop. Bush placed a wreath on King's grave before heading to a $2,000-a-head fund-raiser in downtown Atlanta.

His brief visit observing King's birthday upset some civil rights leaders, who said his politics and poor scheduling conflict with their plans to honor King. Critics say Bush's policies on the Iraq war, affirmative action and social service funding conflict with the King legacy.

After laying the wreath, Bush spoke at a fundraiser and was introduced by Georgia's Democratic Senator, Zell Miller,

"When I heard Bush was coming here I couldn't believe it. I was outraged and disgusted, and I just think it's a photo op. It's so transparent," said Kathy Nicholas, a flight attendant from Atlanta who said she had planned to visit the tomb before she learned of the president's visit.

When Bush arrived, the crowd of around 500 people booed and chanted "Bush go home!"

Some of the protesters held signs that displayed King's image and said "War is not the answer." Others beat drums and chanted "In 2004, Bush no more."

Two of the protesters were arrested for stepping into the street and refusing to move, police said.

The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change said it extended no formal invitation to Bush but accepted his offer to come.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the president wanted to pay tribute to "Dr. King's legacy, his vision and his lifetime of service.

"This is a way to honor a lifetime dedicated to fighting for equal opportunity and equal justice for all people," he said.

Local leaders also criticized the short notice of the visit, which conflicted with other King holiday events.

The MLK March Committee, a group of area civil rights activists who knew King, has worked for months on a human rights forum at Ebenezer Baptist Church, across the street, which was planned to run all day.

Organizers said they initially were told to conclude their event early for security reasons, but the Secret Service later agreed to allow the event to proceed as scheduled.

Coretta Scott King declined to comment on Bush's visit, but King has been vocal about her opposition to the war in Iraq, promoting her late husband's principles of nonviolence.

Some local critics claimed Bush was using the stop as a way to get taxpayers to pay for his trip to the fund-raiser for his re-election campaign.

Larry Noble, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, said it doesn't work that way. Noble said a president's campaign generally must foot the bill for out-of-town transportation if there is a fund-raiser involved, even if the trip includes official business.

In practice, the campaign wouldn't actually reimburse the entire cost of operating Air Force One, Noble said. Rather, it would pay the equivalent of a first class plane ticket for everyone on board, except for those aides who are attending for the official business but not the fund-raiser.

A small group of demonstrators marched Wednesday outside the King Center to protest the Bush visit, whose trip to observe the 75th birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., could force the cancellation of some events because of security concerns.

The protesters said they held the event to honor King and to criticize the visit by Bush, whom they said has held to actions that are far apart from the ideology espoused by the late civil rights leader.

"We believe this is purely, purely political," the Rev. Timothy McDonald, president of the Concerned Black Clergy said. "That this particular visit has more to do with his fundraising and it just happened to be on Jan. 15. It is an insult to those of us who are committed to justice and an insult to those of us who believe in the life and legacy of Dr. King."

"He has the right to come, but there should have been some consideration on what's going on locally," said state Rep. Tyrone Brooks, D-Atlanta. "That's quite insulting. This is not the appropriate way to honor Dr. King."

The MLK March Committee, a group of area civil rights activists who worked with King, has worked for months on a program at Ebenezer Baptist Church, across the street, which was planned to run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"They told us that the Secret Service wanted us out of there by 2 p.m.," said the Rev. James Orange. "We are not leaving the church."

White House spokesman Taylor Gross said the president's visit was well-communicated with the King Center.

"The president is looking forward to visiting members of the King family and paying respects at the King Center to honor the important legacy of Dr. King," Gross said.

Robert Vickers of the King Center said Bush called to say he would be in Atlanta and wanted to lay a wreath.

"Every president has laid a wreath, outside of Ronald Reagan," Vickers said. "So it wasn't a formal invitation by the King Center, just like none of the other ones are."

Channel 2 Action News reporter Carrie Edwards contributed to this report.