Eugene weekly., June 26, 2003, Page 13, Image 13

Mean Streets of Eugene
Part I: Eugene’s winding rocky road to
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. ■
Which Side are You On?
The Eugene City Council scheduled a second public hear-
ing for May 27. Before the hearing, nine people wrote in op-
posing the renaming and seven wrote letters of support. The
County Commission offered to cover the full cost (up to
$10,000) of new signs for the road.
At the public hearing before the council, 29 people spoke
in favor of re-naming Centennial and only one against.
Commissioner Green testified that suggestions for alterna-
tive things to rename, like the Ferry Street Bridge, were too
late. Green warned that if the council failed to rename
Centennial, it “will be viewed as lip service as usual” by
African Americans.
NAACP President Marilyn Mays called opposition to re-
naming Centennial a “disheartening and discouraging and a
tough lesson” in “subtle racism.” With the “show of subtle
racism,” Mays said, “a message is being sent loud and clear
that we are not wanted here.”
Green and Mays did not return calls requesting further
comment for this story.
By Alan Pittman
Former Eugene Police Chief Jim Hill supported the renam-
ing and warned that if the council voted against it, “the impact
in race relations in our community will be felt for years to
come.”
Betty Snowden said objections to renaming Centennial
aren’t really about the costs of businesses changing addresses.
“This is about the city fathers not wanting to be a part of a city
street being named after a black man.”
Carmen Urbina, director of El Centro Latino Americano,
testified that she’s regularly followed in stores because of her
skin color. “We know that racism is in this community, I feel it
every single day.”
Urbina called on the council to rename the street to “take a
stand against racism.”
Mark Harris said the Ferry Street Bridge was the site of an
early tent city that African Americans were forced to live in
because they were banned from living in town. The commu-
nity was later forced out without provision for new homes
when the bridge was enlarged, he said. Given the history, re-
naming the bridge would be “a slap in the face” for the
African-American Community, he said.
Ed Coleman called suggested alternatives to Centennial a
“ruse” to avoid naming something prominent after King.
Coleman sang the civil rights song, “Which side are you on?”
Scott Bartlett testified that the renaming would have little
impact on residents. Most addresses on the street were student
apartments that change tenants yearly, he said. He urged the
council to, “dig deep and stand tall and do the right thing.”
Mattew Hasek spoke with difficulty from a wheel-
chair in support of the renaming. “It is 2003,
why in the world are we having this dis-
cussion tonight?”
Marl Carter of Staff Jennings
boat center defended his opposition to
the renaming. “I’m not prejudiced,” he
said, but said businesses should have
been given more say in the street name
change.
During council discussion after the hear-
ing, Councilor Betty Taylor praised King as “one of the
greatest people of the 20th century.” But she said, “we dis-
honor him by causing dissension in his name,” by “name call-
ing,” not respecting the impact of the name change on busi-
nesses and residents and in hurting the city’s relationship with
Springfield.
Councilor Gary Papé said the council shouldn’t “put our
blinders on” and think renaming Centennial is the only op-
tion to honor King. “Dr. King deserves to be much better
honored in our community.”
Councilor George Poling said he opposed renaming a
street named to honor the pioneers. “There’s only been
three people who are supportive of all the people I’ve
talked to.”
Councilor Nancy Nathanson said she favored delaying
the decision to September so a broad committee would
have a chance to examine alternatives. “I very much want
to avoid a divisive decision.”
Councilor Scott Meisner said the council made the
process more divisive by not asking a committee to exam-
ine all the naming options, not just Centennial.
Betty Snowden said objections to renaming
Centennial aren’t really about the costs of businesses
changing addresses. “This is about the city
fathers not wanting to be a part of a city street
being named after a black man.”
Out of the 2,500 or so street names listed in the
Eugene/Springfield area phone book, many are
named for plant life — Dogwood, Jasmine, Ivy; oth-
ers for women’s names — Sharon, Isabelle, Ellen;
still others for fruits — Quince, Apple, Cherry. There
are several variations on “river” — River Pointe,
Riverview, River Walk, Riverbend. A pocket of
streets is named for cities in Canada and another
named for the Cayman Islands. Close to the heart
of town, arterial streets are named for presidents —
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln; and early settlers
— Kincaid, Patterson, Bailey.
Of these same 2,500 streets, none are named
for feminists, Asians, Native Americans, Latinos, or
out and proud homosexuals. Way out toward
Mount Pisgah, off Seavey Loop, is a cluster of
streets with Spanish-based names — El Toro, Del
Rio, El Manor, El Centro. El Centro? You can bet
that this is nowhere near “the center” of anything,
except for the road to Goshen.
Some of the more prominent street namesakes
in this town, and even this county’s namesake,
have less than savory histories. There’s the rela-
tively recent uncovering of Thomas Jefferson’s li-
aisons with his female slaves. “Honest John”
Whiteaker, Oregon’s first governor, was an advo-
cate of slavery. Judge Matthew Deady said of
Whiteaker, “Old Whit ... Wrong in the head in poli-
tics, he is honest and right in the heart” (see
www.endoftheoregontrail.org).
There are connections between county name-
sake General Joseph Lane (also a proponent of
slavery and secession) and The Knights of the
Golden Circle, a precursor group to the Klu Klux
Klan. The tie to the group carried through to the
next generation: In the article “State Of Jefferson
Vision Hangs On,” written for the State of
Jefferson website, James T. Rock writes, “Joseph
Lane’s daughter Winnifred marries Lafayette F.
Mosher … L.F. Mosher had political connections. He
also had, or is rumored to have had, close connec-
tions with the Western Division of the Knights of
the Golden Circle. He was commander of this pro-
Southern forerunner of the Ku Klux Klan.”
Mark Harris, LCC faculty member and propo-
nent of the Centennial-to-MLK Jr. name change,
explains that there are two streets in Eugene
named for African Americans — Sam R Road, a
short, jagged jog off W. 11th Avenue, just east of
Bertelsen; and Moon Lee Lane, a snippet of street
in the university neighborhood. Moon Lee Lane is
named for former UO administrator Don Moon Lee.
Harris, in his May 19 written testimony to the
Eugene City Council in favor of the Centennial
name change, mentions Sam R as Sam Reynolds,
owner of a juke joint in what was once Eugene’s
Ferry Street Community — an area created by
blacks when they were not allowed to live within
five miles of Eugene proper. Geographically mini-
mal compared with other streets in the city, Sam R
Road and Moon Lee Lane seem to only highlight
the under-representation of diversity in Eugene
street names.
Perhaps the discussion and negotiations around
the boulevard name change is just the stickiest be-
ginning of eliminating that under-representation.
Maybe someday, in with the presidents and pio-
neers, we will smoothly cross the intersection at
Che Guevara and Ghandi Avenue, or at Betty
Friedan Boulevard and Mandela Street.
—Bobbie Willis
JUNE 26, 2003 13