Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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FangKC
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

Post by FangKC »

TheLastGentleman wrote: Tue Jan 29, 2019 2:10 am So..is there a chance that the change could be cancled?
I don't know what is going to happen. The reaction on my neighborhood's Facebook page has been overwhelmingly negative, which has surprised me. The Old Northeast is the most ethnically-diverse part of Kansas City, and minorities are the largest demographic. This issue is making people angry more than any single one I've seen in the 10 years I've lived in the neighborhood.

There appears to be movement to stop it. I don't know how it will play out. Don't be surprised if there is either a lawsuit, or voter initiative. The opposition doesn't appear to be against MLK Jr. having something named, but in the selection of The Paseo. People seem supportive of one of the numbered streets going east-west, or the airport terminal.

Naming the airport terminal after Dr. King also would not require any residents or businesses to update all their personal information.

The council members that voted for it, and who are running for mayor, appear to be losing support. People are openly vowing not to vote for any of them in the mayor's race. It seems to be hurting Justus the most, and helping Canady.

I sense that Mayor James knew this would happen, and that's why he appointed a City commission to make the recommendation after study. I recall there was an effort by Eastside ministers to put the matter on the ballot. The mayor appeared worried that a vote would fail if The Paseo was the ballot choice, and that's why he formed the Commission.

Anyway, that's my read right now.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

Post by AlbertHammond »

FangKC wrote: Tue Jan 29, 2019 1:38 am

Wagner also pointed out that there has been a city park honoring Dr. King since 1978, so the idea that Kansas City had done nothing to honor Dr. King was incorrect.

https://kcparks.org/places/king-martin- ... jr-square/
Thanks for mentioning this. I pass this park all the time and never noticed the name.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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Opponents start petition to halt Paseo name change to MLK Jr. Boulevard
Renaming The Paseo for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. continues to cause controversy in the community.

"It's the fact that the city didn't follow the original ordinance," said Bryon Johnmeyer, a Paseo property owner. "It's not the naming of the name itself. It's the ordinance that was in place."

Workers posted the first sign Monday renaming The Paseo in honor of King, but some say the new sign might not stay up very long.

That's because five Paseo property owners currently are drawing up a petition at City Hall to seek a vote on the change.
...
https://fox4kc.com/2019/02/25/metro-div ... the-paseo/
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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Not this again: Is yet another battle brewing over renaming The Paseo for MLK?
Just when it appeared that Kansas City had finally ended a protracted battle over renaming a street or landmark for Martin Luther King Jr., a new effort to thwart the plan to rechristen The Paseo has emerged.

Some property and business owners on The Paseo have started a petition initiative to squash plans to rename the street for the civil rights leader. And after months of missteps and squabbling, what appeared to finally be a done deal could unravel all over again.
...
But the ceremonial street sign that went up last week at 34th Street and The Paseo to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. should be the last signage erected until the petition initiative opposing the change has been decided one way or the other.
...
And city officials should provide residents with guidance about whether to change their addresses while this tangled mess is sorted out. For now, limiting confusion and unnecessary expense should be the goal.

Bryon Johnmeyer is part of a group that believes the City Council improperly ignored an ordinance requiring approval from 75 percent of property owners on the street to make the change. The group’s petition is under review at the city attorney’s office, which has 30 days to pass it along to the city clerk’s office for approval.

The goal is to gather enough signatures through petition to force a vote on the name change among property owners on The Paseo.
...
The change was inevitably going to cause friction, regardless of which street was chosen. Council Member Alissia Canady has repeatedly said constituents she spoke with opposed stripping The Paseo of its name.

“You can’t honor Dr. King by disenfranchising black voters that live on the street,” she said.

Process matters, and this one was flawed. But honoring King 51 years after his death is long overdue. And the prospect of undoing this decision to pay respect to King would be yet another embarrassment for Kansas City.
...
https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/edit ... 86234.html
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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Some Black Kansas City Residents Say Renaming Paseo Has Erased 'Our Ward Parkway'

https://www.kcur.org/post/some-black-ka ... y#stream/0
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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Petition to change MLK Boulevard back to Paseo presented to council, taking next step

https://fox4kc.com/2019/05/16/petition ... next-step/

KCMO City Council committee assigned to consider MLK Boulevard name reversal

https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kc ... e-reversal
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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Voters to decide whether to rename The Paseo for MLK
...
In a unanimous vote, city leaders moved to put issue on the Nov. 5 ballot.
...
https://www.kmbc.com/article/voters-to- ... k/27798588
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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FangKC wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 9:10 pm Voters to decide whether to rename The Paseo for MLK
...
In a unanimous vote, city leaders moved to put issue on the Nov. 5 ballot.
...
https://www.kmbc.com/article/voters-to- ... k/27798588
That thing is going to pass with damn near 60% id imagine.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

Post by im2kull »

johnmatrix wrote: Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:52 am
FangKC wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 9:10 pm Voters to decide whether to rename The Paseo for MLK
...
In a unanimous vote, city leaders moved to put issue on the Nov. 5 ballot.
...
https://www.kmbc.com/article/voters-to- ... k/27798588
That thing is going to pass with damn near 60% id imagine.
What makes you think that? Nearly every comment I've read has been in support of keeping the Paseo the Paseo.. Not changing it.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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im2kull wrote: Fri Jun 07, 2019 9:33 am
johnmatrix wrote: Fri Jun 07, 2019 7:52 am
FangKC wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 9:10 pm Voters to decide whether to rename The Paseo for MLK



https://www.kmbc.com/article/voters-to- ... k/27798588
That thing is going to pass with damn near 60% id imagine.
What makes you think that? Nearly every comment I've read has been in support of keeping the Paseo the Paseo.. Not changing it.
Thats what I meant. Changing the name back to Paseo
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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Are they voting to change MLK back to Paseo or Paseo to MLK? Not sure it would make any difference. Just thought they had already changed the name.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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WSPanic wrote: Fri Jun 07, 2019 10:10 am Are they voting to change MLK back to Paseo or Paseo to MLK? Not sure it would make any difference. Just thought they had already changed the name.
This is the peitition to change the name back to The Paseo.

The council either had to vote to accept the petition and make the change back themselves or put it to a citywide vote.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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Nope! I'm voting no. What a waste of taxpayer dollars.

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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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It was a waste of taxpayer dollars to change the name in the first place, when there was evidence that many opposed that option. There should have been a public vote to begin with. It's a boulevard--under the parks system, and any change to it should have had a public vote. We have a public vote to sell a odd, tiny parcel of park acreage. The Council ignored process and rules, and that is why there was an initiative.

Even before the City spent a cent on making the signs, the Council knew there was an initiative coming, so they should have held off manufacturing and installing signs until the issue was resolved.

Any wasted tax dollars falls on the Council for not following the street-naming rules, and the City Charter rules about park lands. It is entirely their fault.

BTW, a public vote would not have been necessary had another street been chosen that wasn't a boulevard or part of the park system.

I'm voting yes to return the name to Paseo. I will be on-board for honoring Dr. King as long as rules and process are followed.
Last edited by FangKC on Thu Oct 31, 2019 12:30 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

Post by missingkc »

Agreed, Fang. This change was pushed through without public input. I say, change Main Street. Or 63rd Street. But not Paseo. Or Prospect. Or Troost. These names are Kansas City history.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

Post by WoodDraw »

I agree with Fang and continue to say that the proper way to honor MLK is to raise money to create a proper place that honors not just him but other leaders in Kansas City involved in our city. I'll vote yes.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

Post by mean »

Count me as a yes. I've always loved the name. I failed to graduate from the highschool that borrowed it. That is just about the only street I would have objected to. If we got to propose an alternate, I'd maybe suggest Truman. Or any of the boring numbered streets. Anything east-west really, tying together historically white and historically black parts of town seems appropriate.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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Well, Truman Road is a no go. It's named after the only president from Missouri, and who served Jackson County as a county judge, and Missouri as a senator.

One of the arguments the proponents made was that Dr. King deserved a beautiful boulevard that would be maintained well. I don't disagree with that.

What about Harry Truman? His honorary road runs through industrial areas of the city, and is certainly not a beautiful boulevard. An argument could be made that he had as much, or more, or an impact on the world. But it's not a contest. I just wish the City would make more of an effort to make it a boulevard.

There is also the issue of M.L.K Park on Swope Parkway. It's been there awhile--since 1978--40 years. Why didn't the local ministers push the community to form a park conservancy, and raise money to make it a special place like Loose Park? One with a big fountain and statue of King ringed by gardens? Something like the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden?

https://kcparks.org/places/king-martin- ... jr-square/

Personally, I'd like to see an entirely new boulevard created for MLK that would span most of the Northland from NE Cookingham Drive west roughly following NE 96th / NE 100th streets to I-435 west of the airport. Most of the land is undeveloped at this point, but with some pro-active zoning, the City could create a really nice parkway bearing his name.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

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Freedom send out their mailer yesterday, urging people to vote no. Their top reason was that the name change "Brings advanced funding to help rebuild our urban communities", which I believe is a complete lie.
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Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

Post by AlbertHammond »

Naming a street after this civil rights hero was a pathetic move anyway. He deserves a great park or monument (the current park is very weak). If the on again, off again Washington Square Park ever happens, I propose naming it after MLK. That would cause more city leaders to push it forward and would hopefully be a park worthy of the name MLK.

I agree with some others that renaming The Paseo was the worst choice possible. City leadership.....
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