120,000 line the streets to honor King

Some boogied, sang or cheered in the streets. Some lounged on lawn chairs or waved from their home balconies. Some quietly rocked on porches, baby on knee.

In all, an estimated 120,000 people turned out for the 22nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Kingdom Day parade Monday morning in South Los Angeles, the largest in Southern California celebrating the life of the slain civil rights leader.

The parade, which traveled a 1.5-mile route headed west from Western Avenue down West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, curved south on Crenshaw Boulevard, and ended at Leimert Park, where an afternoon festival featured jazz, food and souvenirs.

Among the notables participating were Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo, Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Carson) and 8th District City Councilman Bernard C. Parks. Celebrity Grand Marshal Maria Elena Durazo, leader of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, rode on an open platform towed by a big rig, waving to the music of the Black Eyed Peas. The parade’s tiara-clad queen for 2007, Alexandria Hutchinson, seemed to float by, her strapless champagne-colored dress billowing over the back of a convertible.

“She’s beautiful,” said one spectator, wrapping her arms about her in the cool air, “though, somebody should have given her a mink coat.”

Villaraigosa, in a casual collared work shirt and slacks, rode in a police-flanked Cadillac, waving and grinning as the crowd called his name.

“Happy King Day, everybody. It’s good to be here with all of you. God bless you all,” he said into a microphone, before abandoning the car to shake hands and have his picture taken with parade-goers.

Knight High School Destiny Alliance Regiment, a marching band, kicked off the parade with “Fairest of the Fair.” In front of them cheerleaders shimmied gold pompoms.

Other groups proudly marched by, including the umbrella-toting International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Minority AIDS Project and military groups, such as the Crenshaw High School Marine Corps, Junior Reserve and the Garfield High School JROTC.

In the spirit of the day, an antiwar protest group, ANSWER Coalition L.A., was allowed to participate, officials said, though it was not given permission ahead of time. Coalition members were later permitted, said Los Angeles Police Officer Eddie Martinez, “as long as they demonstrated peacefully.”

No arrests were made anywhere along the parade route, police said, but there was one injury. A teenage boy was taken by ambulance to a hospital with a broken wrist after falling from a tree, apparently in an attempt to get a better view, Officer Hendley Hawkins said.

Organizers, who spent weeks coordinating the 300 participating groups, celebrities and politicians, said the pre-planning paid off.

“This is probably the smoothest it’s ever been,” said spokeswoman Deborah Beavers.

Along the route, the streets swelled with people, ready to wave, sing or dance.

When James Brown music started thumping from a float, Jimmy Deadwilder, a father of four, locked eyes with his daughter Martaila, 10, who bounced to the beat.

“It’s a great turnout,” said Deadwilder, 33, who has been a loyal parade-goer from its inception. “There’s black pride -- just for King Day. It’s beautiful.”

Amid the sound of soul and funk and the scent of bacon-wrapped hot dogs, the voice of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. could be heard near 2nd Avenue, thundering out of a speaker.

Leon Andrews, 47, who played the recording, said he listens to King’s speeches often. But on Monday, he said, “I want other people to hear it.”

King’s words reached the ears of Noel Curl, 9, who stood on a corner, listening.

“It makes me feel good, and that I need to feel grateful, because America is a very good place,” the third-grader said. “He was a very good man, and I like what he did with America.”

ashley.surdin@latimes.com