CC Minutes - 05/27/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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testimony received before that evening. He noted that there was a letter from the Lane Board of County Commissioners committing to pay the cost of new signage. He added that the 9-1-1 Emergency Center, the United States Post Office, and the University of Oregon all supported the name change. Mayor Torrey opened the public hearing. Bobby Green Sr., Board of County Commissioners, submitted written testimony to the council. He expressed his support for the unanimous recommendation of the Eugene Planning Commission. He said the decision to make the change would be easy because the council had only to follow the will of the community at large. He raised concern that a no vote would divide the community. He urged the council to take action on the matter that evening. Marilyn Mays, 1081 North Pond Road, spoke as president of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She expressed her support for the street name change and the unanimous recommendation of the Eugene Planning Commission. She said the proposal was in the best interest of the community. She expressed her dismay about the process for the name change and remarked that it had made her reevaluate whether Eugene could ever be called home for her. She said the process had been a lesson that insidious and subtle racism was alive and thriving in the community. Jim Hill, 1388 Barrington Street, spoke in support of renaming Centennial Boulevard in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He said he had reviewed all of the material regarding the issue. He acknowledged that there would be some inconvenience involved with the change but stressed that the name change was in the best interest of the community. Henry Luvert, 2036 South Shasta Loop, noted that there had been a suggestion to rename the Ferry Street Bridge after Martin Luther King and suggested that the bridge be renamed as well as Centennial Boulevard. He stressed that what Dr. King had done for the country was more important than any single person's inconvenience. He noted that there was nothing yet in the City that recognized Dr. King. Joseph Bradford, 1459 City View Street, reiterated the comments of the previous speakers. He remarked that it was not that difficult to rename a street after Dr. King. He questioned whether Eugene really cared about diversity when it was delaying the renaming of Centennial. He noted that the post office was already prepared for the name change. Betty Snowden, PO Box 5166, Eugene, related that when she had tried to purchase a building to house her business, the owner had asked to keep the transaction a secret because "people would not understand." She said the renaming of Centennial Boulevard would help break down racial barriers. She urged the council to unite the community by moving forward with the renaming process. Carmen Urbina, 988 Blackfoot Street, spoke in support of the name change. She said, in the eight years she had lived in the city, she had dealt with prejudice every day. She said renaming Centennial Boulevard in honor of Dr. King would help address overt and cover racism in the community. She said racism was in the community and she had to deal with it every single day. MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 27, 2003 Page 4 Regular Meeting