Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 21, 2004, edition 1 / Page 9
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(The HaiUj aar lied Road renaming sparks ire BY JOSEPH R. SCHWARTZ ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR May 27 Chapel Hill citizens of every ilk gathered Monday at the town council meeting to express their feelings —be it through loud proclamations, applause, stickers and even tears on renaming Airport Road to Martin Luther King Road. Chapel Hill Town Council mem ber Edith Wiggins proposed the change as a means to honor King and promote his message of unity and equality, but several citizens claimed that the issue is dividing the town as clearly as black and white. More than 20 citizens signed up to speak, including residents and business owners of Airport Road and members of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Several people donned stick ers that read, “Preserve History Save Airport Road.” Jan Cosby was the first to approach the podium and set the tone for the fervent debate by challenging the council directly and displaying outrage at the pro cess that several called “under the radar.” “I’d like to remind all of you that you have been elected to represent all the people of Chapel Hill, not just some.” Becky Johnson, 34, a lifetime Airport Road resident followed, uttering only a few words before succumbing to tears. Her sister fin Fatigued Town Council passes new changes BY JOSEPH R. SCHWARTZ ASSISTANT UNIVERSITY EDITOR Monday’s Chapel Hill Town Council meeting was one of stark contrast, beginning with a heated forum that yielded a committee for fiirther input and prompting mundane discussions that spurred immediate action. The meeting opened to a packed house filled with concerned citizens, police officers and television news crews. After passionate debate and a vote to create a special commit tee for the proposed renaming of Airport Road, the room emptied and a clamor followed the crowds of people into the chamber halls. The absence of the crowd didn’t mean an absence of agenda items to be considered. Three more pub HHr / t a i*I \ W / ■ H*v Ml II \ ■ X § ** mini j. \ |j| 4 ®T •mr ' / jfl KSJBBMWri I ¥ y 1 5 4 um* (0; V 4-;. ™ . \ ished the emotionally charged pre pared statements. “Why and how will this really honor Dr. King? A road is just a way to get from point A to point B,” the statement read. “We are looking for frivolous ways to spend taxpayers’ dollars.” Council members have esti mated that changing the signage would cost at least $16,000. Business owners said that renam ing the road and changing busi ness cards, letterhead and signage would be devastating. But Charlie Kast, parish min ister at the Community Church of Chapel Hill, was the first person at the forum to support the change. “To name this road after him is the very least we can do. The cost and inconvenience of this is small in consideration of the price he had to pay.” His remarks drew cheers from the large black contingent. After several such outbursts, Mayor Kevin Foy requested that people abstain from clapping, evoking a resounding, “thank you” from those against the renaming. Other citizens referenced the importance of having such a dedi cation to King in the current politi cal and social climate. Stephen Deer, who works for People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, said that he felt compelled to speak after roughly $3,500 of computer equipment was stolen that very day from his office. “I see a lie forums followed and the coun cil approved the 2004-05 budget along with modifications to the UNC development plan and addi tions to the UNC softball complex. After a brief discussion, the council approved UNC’s plans to build a 130,000-square-foot physi cians’ building; to make additions to Morehead Planetarium, Fetzer Gym and to University property on Franklin Street; to relocate the proposed science complex chiller plant to the future Bell Tower park ing deck; and to create a pedestrian bridge over South Road. UNC officials who requested the change at a May 24 meeting agreed to all of the amendments, including a provision allowing for installation of a light railway if needed. Welcome Beck DTH/GILUAN BOLSOVER Town Council member Edith Wiggins looks fatigued at a May meeting of the group, which considered whether to rechristen Airport Road. connection between crime and our values,” he said. “And I see naming a road ‘Martin Luther King Road’ as a proclamation of our values.” But such values were called into question in an anonymous letter submitted to all council members. The letter called King an adul terer, stating, “King is by far the most overrated American in our history.” Council member Mark Kleinschmidt, who resides on Airport Road, called it cowardly. He said he isn’t concerned about changing his address because the The council also gave clearance for UNC to construct additions to the softball field, including restroom facilities and dressing rooms. In contrast to the 18 citizens who spoke on the Airport Road issue, only three people commented on the proposed lobbying ordinance that would limit citizens’ ability to speak with council members. Those who did speak said that the ordinance is too large scale, and instead of fixing a small prob lem it will cause far more large problems. “Focus your target, get a smaller aim, and use a smaller brush,” said Charlie Fisher, chair man of the Government Relations Committee. The council elected to discuss delay in making the change will allow him to notify people. While he acknowledged that the process has been unlike typi cal Chapel Hill proceedings, as thoughtful debate has been replaced by unruly shouting matches, he said the town will overcome the atmosphere of con tentiousness. “We will heal over this; it’s not going to be something that will permanently scar the community.” Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. the issue at a later date. Council members’ energy dwin dled during the four hour meet ing. Mayor Kevin Foy, worn out from the earlier debate, brushed off a request from members of the Orange County Visitors Bureau for more funding: “I’m not in a mood to reconsider the budget right now.” Several items on the agenda were passed over after council members motioned to recess them to the June 30 meeting. Issues include a land-use plan amendment to identify the pos sible school site locations and a provision to the library Internet use policy. Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. THE LEARNING CENTER at phillip/ annex: - A PLACE TO GET HELP WITH ALL KINDS OF ACADEMIC PROJECTS OR CONCERNS Need someone to help you set up a study and time management We can through our plan for the semester? ACADEMIC COUNSELING SERVICE. Need some advice on how to perform better on multiple choice Help is available here, tests or essay exams? our PEER TUTORING PROGRAM Need tutoring in specific subjects? provides walk-in tutoring at Dey Hall every Tues. & Weds, evenings (6-9 pm) after Labor Day. Need to read faster and retain Our READING PROGRAM provides more from your textbook individualized courses and one-on assignments? one help throughout the year. We provide study groups in Biology Interested in experiencing what 11 and Physics 16,24, and 25 it’s like to be in a study group? through our SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION PROGRAM. We offer these and many more services at absolutely no cost. Additionally we have courses for upperclassmen and grads who want to prepare for the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, & GMAT at relatively low fees ($l5O per course). For information on enrolling in these courses, visit our webpage: http://www.unc.edu/depts/lcweb SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2004 Road-naming debate follows national trends Geographer: Furor isn't surprising BY VIRGINIA WOOTEN STAFF WRITER June 3 The debate in Chapel Hill over renaming Airport Road in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. follows a line of similar strug gles in towns and cities across the nation. Derek Alderman, a cultural geographer at East Carolina University, has extensively stud ied the politics behind naming streets in honor of King and said that the events in Chapel Hill are not unprecedented. At least 650 towns and cit ies in the United States have streets named in King’s honor, 30 of them in North Carolina. “Naming streets for King has proven to be controversial in many places inside and outside North Carolina,” he said. He pointed to High Point as a prime example of the struggles such a proposal causes within a community. Factions within the city have been trying to name a street for King for over a decade. According to High Point Council member Bernita Sims, advocates have repeatedly changed the location of the pro posed street after encountering obstacles such as the state gov ernment, the local university and retirement homes whose elderly populations can’t afford the pro cesses it would take to change their address. Some towns also opt for com promise by naming only part of a proposed street after King. Such was the case in Greenville, where only part of a major street was changed, due to resistance from business and residential interests, as well as ECU. Zephyrhills, Fla., renamed a street for King, but after a change in political composition the town council reversed the decision. The signs remain as an honorary dedi cation, but the official address was restored to its original name. “In some ways, these struggles are like an X-ray. They really expose division within commu nities,” Alderman said. “The fact that you have such a progressive sophisticated place such as Chapel Hill, and the fact that this street naming issue is controversial really still speaks to the many different ways that people identify with King.” He feels confident that most Chapel Hill residents respect King and his memory, but that the issue lies in to what extent people personally identify with his legacy. Alderman attended the May 24 Chapel Hill Town Council meet ing at which citizens voiced their opinions on the proposed renam ings, saying that the Chapel Hill debate is unique. “One of the things that I saw that was pretty important when I attended the public hearing last week is that there does seem to be some strong, very vocal, white support for renaming the street for King. You don’t always see that in more conservative towns,” he said. Alderman believes that these street naming struggles can be healthy for a town because they open up dialogue. “It forces people to talk about race ... to talk about where America is in relation to what King was striving to build,” he said. “King was not the only person who advocated civil rights, but his face, his name, his image have become almost a metaphor for talking about the larger move ment for civil rights.” Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu. 9
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