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Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 8:41 am
by FangKC
KC black leaders to start petition drive to rename The Paseo for Martin Luther King Jr.
As the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. approaches, black religious and political leaders in Kansas City are turning to the ballot box in an effort to rename The Paseo in honor of the civil rights leader.
The local head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) said Friday it will lead a drive to gather signatures to place the issue on the August ballot and rename the thoroughfare Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The drive is in reaction to a recent decision by the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Board to oppose the change.
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http://www.kansascity.com/news/article207485409.html
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 9:48 am
by kcjak
I'd rather see Prospect be renamed - there's such a stigma with it (and Troost) being a dividing line, a name change would be a great opportunity to rebrand. And wasn't Prospect the epicenter of the '68 riots that happened around the time of King's murder?
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:21 am
by AlbertHammond
Why aim so low? Change Ward Parkway to MLK Parkway to make a serious statement!
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:22 am
by beautyfromashes
I’d prefer that MLK get one of our best streets. So many MLK streets around the country have a negative stereotype because they are usually in poorer areas with more crime. Also, make this a connection between black and white. Use the name for an E-W road similar to Emmanuel Cleaver. 63rd St? 75th?
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:23 am
by flyingember
beautyfromashes wrote:I’d prefer that MLK get one of our best streets. So many MLK streets around the country have a negative stereotype because they are usually in poorer areas with more crime. Also, make this a connection between black and white. Use the name for an E-W road similar to Emmanuel Cleaver. 63rd St? 75th?
27th. Connect the Liberty Memorial to the east side
The symbolism would be appropriate
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 10:26 am
by brewcrew1000
kcjak wrote:I'd rather see Prospect be renamed - there's such a stigma with it (and Troost) being a dividing line, a name change would be a great opportunity to rebrand. And wasn't Prospect the epicenter of the '68 riots that happened around the time of King's murder?
I really think Paseo makes the most sense for the name change because it has a definitive stop and end all within KCMO. Prospect goes all the way down to Belton and even into Cleveland Mo and it also extends up in the northland. Yes you could just rename a small section of Prospect from say 10th to 80th but people might be offended that more sections are not included and The Paseo name itself doesn't have really any historical ties in this area.
flyingember wrote:beautyfromashes wrote:I’d prefer that MLK get one of our best streets. So many MLK streets around the country have a negative stereotype because they are usually in poorer areas with more crime. Also, make this a connection between black and white. Use the name for an E-W road similar to Emmanuel Cleaver. 63rd St? 75th?
27th. Connect the Liberty Memorial to the east side
The symbolism would be appropriate
27th Street really would be a great one but its a fairly low density street. 31st might be a good one.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:00 am
by shinatoo
beautyfromashes wrote:I’d prefer that MLK get one of our best streets. So many MLK streets around the country have a negative stereotype because they are usually in poorer areas with more crime. Also, make this a connection between black and white. Use the name for an E-W road similar to Emmanuel Cleaver. 63rd St? 75th?
This, but why not Main Street from 6th to Brookside Blvd. The stigma from other cities is an issue and since Main is already on the rise we could change that stigma in KC.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:44 am
by moderne
The Paseo has had that name for over a century. It is the showpiece of all KC boulevards even if the neighborhood is in decline. Since Paseo has a meaning of "walk" and Dr King led many marches, keep the name of Paseo but call it the MLK Paseo, or Martin Luther King Paseo. Its no more of a mouthful than the name of the Atlanta airport.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:52 am
by TheLastGentleman
On reddit someone suggested renaming JC Nichols parkway instead. Thought that was interesting
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:52 am
by shinatoo
Paseo de King Jr.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:28 pm
by scooterj
TheLastGentleman wrote:On reddit someone suggested renaming JC Nichols parkway instead. Thought that was interesting
I was about to comment in support of 31st or maybe 18th, but this idea is brilliant.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 12:37 pm
by earthling
^Best idea. Or how about Nichols Rd through center of Plaza.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 1:26 pm
by DaveKCMO
Since they're now collecting signatures for Paseo (and CM Reed's Prospect suggestion was rebuffed), I doubt they're open to suggestions.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 2:06 pm
by beautyfromashes
Unfortunately, it’s a road I never use. Paseo became a bit pointless after 71 was built a few blocks away.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 2:23 pm
by WSPanic
Paseo is good for cyclists.
What will become of West Paseo? Will it be West MLK? Can it be The Paseo now? Or will it just fail to have any context?
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 3:00 pm
by FangKC
I'd prefer to keep The Paseo as is. It's the very first real boulevard in the city, and has a historic tie to the creation of our parks and boulevard system.
I also thought of Blue Parkway.
I wonder if a street should be selected that also exists in the northland, so the named street continues there. North Oak? Indiana? Brighton?
Another idea would be to name an Interstate segment. For example I-70 from I-435 by the stadiums to the state line, or even to I-435 in Kansas. That way it would bridge both KCMO and KCKS. MLK Expressway.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:39 pm
by AlbertHammond
Not to be cold on the subject, but did MLK ever visit KC? He is a huge and important historic figure, but can't we promote the name of local civil rights figures that were important to our local history? I feel like we are playing copy-cat to every other metro in the U.S....and way late, I might add. What is the over-arching goal for this change? Is it to remember MLK? Is it to remember the civil rights movement? Is it to foster better race relations? The whats and whys of this decision should be communicated for us to get behind a proposal.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 5:56 pm
by WSPanic
AlbertHammond wrote:Not to be cold on the subject, but did MLK ever visit KC? He is a huge and important historic figure, but can't we promote the name of local civil rights figures that were important to our local history? I feel like we are playing copy-cat to every other metro in the U.S....and way late, I might add. What is the over-arching goal for this change? Is it to remember MLK? Is it to remember the civil rights movement? Is it to foster better race relations? The whats and whys of this decision should be communicated for us to get behind a proposal.
If I were to guess, it is driven by the African American community's desire to live in a city that recognizes Dr. King's contributions to the country and their struggle for equality. The fact that KC is one of the largest metros in the country that has no MLK Blvd is a clear signal to them that the city has no shits to give when it comes to racial equality. But that's just a guess. If enough people that actually live near The Paseo want this, I see no reason why the city should stand in the way.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 6:28 pm
by beautyfromashes
Maybe, we could kick off a Barack Obama Blvd trend. First official black President deserves the honor.
Re: Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd
Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2018 6:40 pm
by shinatoo
beautyfromashes wrote:Maybe, we could kick off a Barack Obama Blvd trend. First official black President deserves the honor.
I like that.