Black leaders seek to rename Paseo to MLK Blvd

[AllThingsKC]

KCMO residents vote to change the name back to the Paseo.

Vote was about 70% YES, 30% NO.

[DaveKCMO]

https://twitter.com/catreidtv/status/11 ... 9024147456

Reminder- $60 k spent to change signs to MLK Blvd.
@KCMO estimates it will cost $30,000-45,000 to change them back. Luckily the signs were not thrown out
@41actionnews #ElectionDay #kansascity #thepaseo

...not counting the cost of the election, which petitioners did not know would include other city questions when gathering/submitting their signatures.

[normalthings]

All costs that would have been avoided if the city council had listened to what their constituents and specifically those directly affected wanted.

[WoodDraw]

They're going to try to name the airport after him now, aren't they?

[AllThingsKC]

Since the city saved the Paseo signs, why don't they keep the MLK signs and re-name another street?

They could also sell the MLK signs and try to recoup some of the $100,000+ lost on this fiasco.

[grovester]

All costs that would have been avoided if the city council had listened to what their constituents and specifically those directly affected wanted. followed the law.

[warwickland]

this has gone national for some reason, was on NPR i believe this morning.

[snigglefritz]

The New York Times article I read last night made me so unreasonably angry. A black pastor accusing black people who supported this decision of just "not prioritizing racial justice". What a bunch of stupid hot bullshit. I can't take it with this City sometimes.

[mean]

A street having signs with different letters on it than it had before means racial justice is a higher priority than if the letters stayed the same?

Hot take.

[WoodDraw]

It's an irresistible headline for national news, but it's almost impossible for anyone not familiar with Kansas City to understand.

[FangKC]

The Star describes it as a "stunning rebuke" of the City Council.

After a nine-month existence as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, an iconic 10-mile thoroughfare on Kansas City’s East Side will once again be known as The Paseo, Kansas City voters decided by an overwhelming margin Tuesday.

Save The Paseo, the grassroots group that pushed for restoration of the boulevard’s original name, cruised to victory. Unofficial results showed nearly 70% of voters favoring The Paseo with just two of 124 precincts in the Jackson County portion of Kansas City still not reporting late in the evening. All other precincts across the city reported results.

The outcome was a stunning rebuke of the City Council’s January decision to rename The Paseo to honor King, the late civil rights leader. Now, Kansas City is expected to take down well over 100 signs along the road, which cuts through the heart of the predominantly black East Side.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politic ... 26484.html

My take on this all along was that people were pissed off about how the Council avoided process and didn't follow rules; and that there wasn't enough effort to consult actual residents living along the Paseo (who are heavily people of color) as former Council member Canady stated.

I have noticed that people are becoming increasingly upset with City leadership just in the past two or three years. I worried that this election might indeed be a form or revenge against City actions, since tempers seemed so high.

Now it is incumbent on the community to quickly come together and make a decision about how to bestow an honor on Dr. King in a way that all residents can feel involved and be proud of the outcome.

[chaglang]

TBF it's also a rebuke of the Star ed board.

[FangKC]

Kansas City voters chose The Paseo over MLK. What happens next?

Mayor: Process 'could have been handled better'

https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/ka ... ppens-next

[FangKC]

Kansas City residents vote to restore The Paseo name

...
KMBC's Micheal Mahoney reported that the vote was about the process. Voters felt they were not included.

"People like The Paseo, the institution of it. It was not a vote against Dr. King or his legacy or anything like that. Kansas Citians like The Paseo," Mahoney told KMBC's Kris Ketz in a Facebook Live interview.
...

https://www.kmbc.com/article/fall-from ... a/29702595

[flyingember]

It's an irresistible headline for national news, but it's almost impossible for anyone not familiar with Kansas City to understand.

International news now

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50321254

[chaglang]

Give it about 12 more hours.

[Highlander]

Give it about 12 more hours.

12 hours to blow up or die down? It's not really an issue. In any event, Trump generates something new, exciting and colossally stupid on a daily basis that guarantees that extremely trivial things like KC not having a street named after MLK will quickly fall out of the news forever. Tennessee's governor recently proclaimed a day honoring the founder and first wizard of the kkk and not even that stayed in the news for more than a few hours.

I am very glad the name is reverting back to the Paseo. It's the one street name in KC that actually has a pretty interesting history behind it and one that required a little imagination. Glad it has been saved. I don't have any problems with another street being named after MLK but nor do I think it's all that necessary that we do.

[chaglang]

To die down.

[warwickland]

within 48 hours kansas city was canceled and then everyone forgot kansas city was canceled. this happens over on the east side of the state about once a week.

[FangKC]

Mahomes' Foundation Is Renovating Kansas City's Martin Luther King Jr. Square Park — Here Are The Plans

Martin Luther King Jr. Square Park is one step closer to being the home of Kansas City's newest inclusive playground, thanks to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his foundation.

The design team behind the park's renovations presented their initial proposals in a virtual meeting. Now, members of the public are invited to give feedback and respond to those designs — while there is still time to adapt them.

“This park and its location really have the most opportunity to create a space where children of all colors, all backgrounds, all abilities can come together and play,” said Kristin Seifried, of playground equipment and design company Kompan.

Mahomes’ 15 and the Mahomies Foundation is funding the project. The foundation first approached Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation with the idea in September. Gunter Construction won the $1-million contract to do the work.
...

https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-02-10/ma ... -the-plans