No chicken wings. No ice bikes. No Buffalo Billion, 43 North or Albright-Knox.

British freelance reporter Chris Arnade chose to focus on Buffalo for the first of a series of articles he is writing about poverty in the United States: In east Buffalo, drug addiction's grip is tightened by decades-long cycle

Unfortunately, Buffalo provided Arnade with plenty of fodder. The picture painted of our community is unquestionably unflattering, but it is not inaccurate. Just incomplete. It is a well-written article on poverty and drugs, and was never meant to accurately portray our community.

This is the perfect weekend to look squarely at the very real issues in Buffalo that Arnade documents. They are the very same, very serious societal ills that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so nobly fought to address so many years ago. That they persist in a city on the rise is unacceptable.

So read this grim take on our city understanding that it is not a condemnation of Buffalo, but rather a reminder that we have work to do, Let's roll up our sleeves. It's the best way to celebrate the great MLK today.