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Showing Original Post only (View all)Kansas City votes to remove Martin Luther King's name from historic street [View all]
Source: NBC News
KANSAS CITY, Mo. Kansas City voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved removing Dr. Martin Luther King's name from one of the city's most historic boulevards, less than a year after the city council decided to rename The Paseo for the civil rights icon.
Unofficial results showed the proposal to remove King's name received nearly 70 percent of the vote, with just over 30 percent voting to retain King's name.
The debate over the name of the 10-mile boulevard on the city's mostly black east side began shortly after the council's decision in January to rename The Paseo for King. Civil rights leaders who pushed for the change celebrated when the street signs went up, believing they had finally won a decades-long battle to honor King, which appeared to end Kansas City's reputation as one of the largest U.S. cities without a street named for him.
But a group of residents intent on keeping The Paseo name began collecting petitions to put the name change on the ballot and achieved that goal in April.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/kansas-city-votes-remove-martin-luther-king-s-name-historic-n1077081
I have been advised that this action should not be perceived as racist.
I acknowledge that I do not live there and was unaware of the surrounding issues.
I am therefore removing my prior personal statement.
I appreciate the DUers that have provided the background information.