Mallory: We're not there yet.

Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory said he challenged people during a speech at Music Hall during the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday to make their own assessment of how well Cincinnati has achieved King’s dream. The mayor said it’s up to each individual to put King’s dream of racial equality and non-violence into action.

When asked for his assessment, the mayor was blunt: “We’re not there yet. We still have an awful lot of work to do. When we have so much violence in our community, it’s clear people don’t make the connection between what King stood for, and died for.”

The mayor also said he was appalled at the violence that broke out during a high school basketball tournament at Xavier University’s Cintas Center. Mallory said he “almost” went to the event.

“For there to be a violent outbreak on that day (MLK holiday) is truly appalling,” Mallory said. “Part of our challenge is to get them (kids) to think about King’s message. It’s obvious at least six didn’t. People need to take responsibility for their own actions.”