How does king respond to those who have asked him to be patient?

In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. responds to those urging patience by emphasizing that "justice too long delayed is justice denied." He argues that African Americans have waited for over 340 years for their constitutional and God-given rights, and that waiting perpetuates injustice. King stresses the urgency of the Civil Rights Movement, asserting that "freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." He contends that true patience would mean accepting continued oppression, which he refuses to do.