Kim Kardashian wants to see punishment for a white man who allegedly shot black jogger Ahmaud Arbery to death while the unarmed victim was simply out for a run in Brunswick, GA. As a result, she’s earned a controversial nickname thanks to a Twitter user. On May 7, Kim tweeted, “Please sign this petition so that charges will be filed and justice for Ahmaud Arbery’s family can be served #JusticeForAhmaudArbery,” It included a link to a petition on Change.org that calls for charges to be filed against the alleged shooter. At least one Twitter user called her “Martin Luther Kim” for her plight on behalf of the black community seeking justice. The nickname started trending, with plenty of people very angry at the comparison to the famed late civil rights leader, though Kim herself had nothing to do with it.
A user retweeted Kim’s post seeking justice for Ahmaud and wrote, “Ahhh sh*t Martin Luther Kim on the case?!?! Y’all going to JAIL NOW.” Kim was looking for charges to be brought against Travis McMichael, 34, and his dad Gregory McMichael, 64, for the Feb. 23 shooting of Arbery, 25, that was caught on a cell-phone camera. She got her wish, as hours after her controversial nickname began trending, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrests of the McMichaels, who will face murder and aggravated assault charges. They were taken into custody and booked into the Glynn County Jail, just as Kim’s controversial nickname was the number four U.S trending Twitter topic.
Kim’s unfortunate nickname did not go over well with members of the community. User @attackLZRD wrote, “Martin Luther Kim – As if 2020 could not be any more disrespectful,” while @ReinaVCosplay showed a GIF of a black woman in prayer and tweeted, “Me praying that MLK Jr comes back to life and kills everyone for calling that woman ‘Martin Luther Kim.'”
Me seeing why Martin Luther Kim is trending. Y’all really love to reward white folks for the bare minimum pic.twitter.com/4V6ywMKosn
— Whitney jumps to put jeans on (@TheReclaimed) May 8, 2020
User @AesirAphrodite tweeted, “Martin Luther King Jr was a Nobel Peace Prize winner, civil rights leader & the voice of a generation. Kim Kardashian is just famous for having a huge *ss & a sex tape. Do not call her ‘Martin Luther Kim.’ She is nowhere near being on the same level as Dr. King,” while @SaulAlejandr00 wrote, “I’m sorry, but referring to Kim Kardashian as Martin Luther Kim is an insult to Martin Luther King smh.” Hopefully now that arrests have been made, justice can be served in court in Abrery’s death and the “Martin Luther Kim” nickname will go away. Kim didn’t ask for it, and the community was in an uproar over it.