New names for streets

Resolution coming in Confederate legacy debate

Debate over Civil War symbols is roiling Southern states. For the past two years in Hollywood, it’s been rooted in three streets named for Confederate generals; Robert E. Lee, John Bell Hood and Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was the first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

Hollywood commisioners agreed to rename the streets after pressure from citizens and county officials.

During an earlier rally at City Hall, leaders from groups that include Take Down Slavery Symbols Hollywood and the Black Lives Matter Alliance Broward voiced sentiments geared toward resolution.

“We’re here to reclaim the true history of Hollywood,” said Carlos Valnera, one of the protest organizers and a Hollywood resident.

The current names are demeaning and discriminatory, which is in violation of Hollywood city ordinances, Valnera said.

He would like to see the street names stay true to city founder Joseph Young’s intention in 1923. Based on local historical research, Valnera said the streets could be renamed Macon, Savannah or Baltimore.

“Young named the streets north of Coolidge (then the current president) for U.S. cities with large black populations,” Valnera said.

Changes could be phased in over a one-year timeframe to allow time for residents to change their documents, he said.

Demonstrators waving large Confederate and American flags shouted opposing slogans in support of current street names. Many were dressed in paramilitary garb.

“These signs were put up in memory of war veterans. They’re here to remind us of what our country has endured,” said Laurie Spears, a self-described “constitutionalist” from the St. Augustine area.

State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D West Park, reacted to protesters who sang the national anthem amid a press conference during the rally. He pleaded for unity.

“This is not us against them. This is America; black, white, Hispanic and all the others,” Jones said. “Our fight is against a time in history that divided our country.”