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

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Hope Marsten, 3110 University Street, said renaming Centennial Boulevard in honor of Dr. King was the right thing to do. Mary Adams, 1940 Harmon Street, spoke in favor of renaming Centennial Boulevard. She noted that Dr. King paid with his life to get the United States to live up to its words of "Liberty and Justice for All." She said Centennial Boulevard was a road with a lot of visibility and noted that there would be signs on Coburg Road and Interstate 5 that would highlight Dr. King's name. She urged the council to take action that evening. Kenneth Raymen, 2150 Laura Street, Springfield, urged the council to rename Centennial Boulevard as well as Ferry Street Bridge for Dr. King and to hold a community event in honor of doing so. He stressed the importance of educating children on the works of Dr. King. He suggested that classes could assemble in Alton Baker Park and do a re-enactment of Dr. King's freedom march, cross the bridge and hold an event at the University of Oregon's Moshofsky Center. Sherry Greening, 880 East 39th Avenue, related a story of meeting Dr. King in Chicago in 1966. She suggested renaming the Ferry Street Bridge after Dr. King and placing a statue of him at the end of the bridge. Bob O'Brian, 3525 Gilham Road, read a portion of the written material he submitted to the council. He urged the council to move forward with the renaming of Centennial Boulevard. He said Dr. King was the recognized leader of civil rights in the country and had won the Nobel Peace Prize. He said Dr. King was of the same stature as Washington and Lincoln and deserved a street named after him as well. Dan Bryant, 1280 Butte Lane, spoke as a representative of First Christian Church. He supported the recommendation to rename Centennial Boulevard. He read quotes by Dr. King to the council and urged them to move forward with the process. Bahati Ansari, 1900 Chambers Street, reiterated the comments of previous speakers. She urged the council to approve the renaming of Centennial Boulevard after Dr. King. She said she was speaking because she wanted to be able to tell her children that she had spoken in favor of the idea. Marc Harris, 1741 West 10th Avenue, urged the council to proceed with the renaming of Centennial Boulevard to Martin Luther King Jr., Boulevard. He acknowledged that there had been an alternative proposal to rename the Ferry Street Bridge after Dr. King but pointed out that a predominately black community living at that site had been forcibly displaced to make way for the construction of the bridge, and added that naming the bridge after Dr. King would be a "slap in the face" to the black community in Eugene. Ruth Koenig, 1204 West 28th Avenue, read written material into the record. She said it was overdue to honor a person of color who had dedicated himself to his country. She noted that buildings, bridges, parks and schools could also be named after Dr. King. She expressed a hope that the renaming would be a start that could lead to better diversity in the community. Dr. Edwin Coleman, 1895 Fillmore Street, submitted written material into the record. He spoke in support of the renaming of Centennial Boulevard and related that he had personally met Dr. King, MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 27, 2003 Page 5 Regular Meeting