Kansas City votes to remove Dr. Martin Luther King's name from historic street

[RandySF]

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — 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 vote showed the proposal to remove King's name received nearly 70% of the vote, with just over 30% voting to retain King's name.

he debate over the name of the 10-mile (16.1 kilometer) 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 in the country 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.




https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/kansas-city-dr-martin-luther-king-the-paseo

[madaboutharry]

1. Another reason to be disappointed in humanity.

So much disillusionment, so little time.

[Princess Turandot]

2. That's a shame. Low turnout likely had an impact.

According to https://www.kceb.org/elections/current-election/, 33K people voted (less than 16% of registered voters) in KC, Mo. (114K voted in 2018.) That isn't surprising, since there was nothing else being decided beyond special elections impacting only 2 districts, and some ballot questions (this one and a few related to city owned park land).

Even so.

I wonder if another ballot question on this can be brought soon.

[leftyladyfrommo]

3. It's not that simple.

That road has been The Paseo for ever. Everyone still calls it that. It's a wide boulevard on the east side of town.

Some people just decided that we needed to name something for MLK and they decided to rename that boulevard.

It just didn't work.

If you had asked me where MLK Blvd was I couldn't have told you. That road is the Paseo and always has been.

[BlueMTexpat]

4. In that case, perhaps it is better to

choose another street to name after Dr. King.

Thanks for presenting the local POV!

[leftyladyfrommo]

5. I am sure people will be looking at that. nt

[Coleman]

7. How about 18th Street

That is where the Negro League Baseball Museum and the American Jazz Museum are located. It goes right through the jazz district. Or State Route 71 Or State Line Rd.

[leftyladyfrommo]

8. That would make more sense. nt

[MuseRider]

9. I am certain

renaming the famous 18th and Vine area something different would be just as popular as changing The Paseo area was and probably stupid since KC gets a lot of notoriety from that area.

I do not live there but live close and have 2 kids living there, one in the Paseo. I did not know about this issue and will ask him about it when I see him next.

[liberal N proud]

6. The Paseo has been there a very long time

And it has a ton of local history behind it. The Paseo is a landmark street.