Answer:
He had been asked to help stage a protest.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the excerpt from the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," King was in Birmingham because he had been invited there by the local affiliate to engage in a nonviolent direct action program if deemed necessary. He also mentioned having basic organizational ties in Birmingham. Therefore, King was in Birmingham because he had been asked to help stage a protest, not because he had decided on his own to run a protest or because he lived there earlier in his life or was a member of that community.