Smith believes that Memphis, which she sites as the second most segregated city in America, would better serve the teachings of Dr. King if they addressed the problems of the homeless such as hunger, drug addiction and crime rather than displacing people from the few affordable shelters in the area (in 2002 the museum displaced more people with the acquisition the boarding house across the street where it is believed Ray made the fatal shot).

Rather than looking to the future and addressing it’s needs, Smith takes the stance that Memphis prefers to look to the past and is content to capitalize on two dead men, Elvis Presley and MLK. Smith, an outspoken MLK supporter considers the museum a “tourist trap” that doesn’t honor King’s teachings the way he would have wished.