Thousands sign online petition to rename stretch of Fifth Ave in front of Trump Tower after Obama
Via Flickr
Over 3,800 people have signed a petition to rename the block in front of Trump Tower after President Barack Obama. Without specifically mentioning the Midtown building developed by President Donald Trump, the MoveOn.org appeal requests the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio rename the part of Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Street “President Barack H. Obama Avenue.”
The online petition references the renaming of a Downtown LA Freeway in honor of the 44th president the City of Los Angeles this summer. In August, the L.A. City Council voted 15-0 to change part of “Rodeo Road” to “Obama Boulevard.”
So, why rename this NYC block after Obama? According to the author of the petition, Elizabeth Rowin: “We request the New York City Mayor and City Council do the same by renaming a block of Fifth Avenue after the former president who saved our nation from the Great Recession, achieved too many other accomplishments to list, and whose two terms in office were completely scandal free.”
Currently, 3,804 people have signed the petition, which has a new goal of getting 4,000 signatures in total.
But there is a snag in the petitioners’ plan. In order to get a street renamed in honor of a person, the honoree must no longer be living and must have had a meaningful connection to the community. After those prerequisites, a petition signed by 75 percent of local residents will go to the community board, followed by the Parks Committee of the City Council and a vote by all members, and lastly the mayor’s office.
As 6sqft recently reported, the City Council voted to co-name streets this month in honor of three NYC music icons, Notorious B.I.G., the Wu-Tang Clan, and folk singer Woody Guthrie. The Council voted on 164 street co-namings this year. Check out the approved co-named streets from 2017 and 2016 here.
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