The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE - Martin Luther King III visited this Ohio river town for the second time since a handcuffed black man was fatally shot by police last month.

Almost 35 years after his father was killed, Mr. King said Saturday that much more progress is needed in the area of civil rights before the nation can do more than just "observe" his father's birthday.

"We cannot celebrate when police officers - some - are treating citizens the way that the citizens of Louisville, the citizens of Cincinnati and even in my community of Atlanta, and all over this nation are being treated," said Mr. King, son of the late civil-rights leader. "In 2003 we're still talking about police brutality and misconduct."

Mr. King, who heads the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, spoke at the Justice Resource Center's 29th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Service.

It was Mr. King's second visit in less than a month. Last month, he took part in a demonstration outside police headquarters to protest the Dec. 5 shooting death of James Taylor, who was shot 11 times by a police detective.

Police say Mr. Taylor, who had his hands cuffed behind his back at the time, was threatening two detectives with a box-cutter-type knife. He was the fifth black man to be fatally shot by Louisville police since 2000.

Mr. King attended another protest outside police headquarters Saturday before the Justice Resource Center event. He is one of several national civil-rights activists, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, who have visited the city and spoken out against Mr. Taylor's shooting.

During his speech at First Congregational Methodist Church, Mr. King commended local activists for their efforts to end police brutality through nonviolent demonstrations and a boycott of local businesses.