Panel Rips MLK Statue, Says He Looks Like a Dictator

A federal arts panel is demanding changes to a colossal statue of Martin Luther King Jr. planned for the heart of Washington because commissioners think King looks too "confrontational," almost like a dictator, reports the Washington Post. The 28-foot-tall statue is to be the centerpiece of a 4-acre King memorial scheduled to be finished next year, but the panel has the clout to hold things up.

The statue was controversial to begin with when a Chinese sculptor known for his statues of Mao was picked instead of an American. The team behind the statue says its confrontational look isn't accidental. "We see him as a warrior for peace, not as some pacifist, placid, kind of vanilla, but a man of great conviction and strength," said a consultant involved in the project. They're trying to work out a compromise. (More Martin Luther King Jr. stories.)