At Kansas City’s first hearing on MLK Boulevard plan, few attend but most are against
A few people, outnumbered by media, showed up Tuesday for the first of two hearings about a proposed Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Kansas City.
And of the five who spoke, four were against it.
Some offered alternatives, including renaming the airport, Troost Avenue or further investing in the park named after King along the proposed boulevard.
The new proposal involves renaming multiple streets — Volker Boulevard, Swope Parkway and Blue Parkway — running between Main Street on the west and 55th Street on the east.
The change serves two purposes, Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department director Terry Rynard previously said: honoring King and simplifying the roads’ names. It could also help drive economic development, along what’s known as the cultural corridor, she said.
During the Kansas City Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners’ hearing, Ted Dirks, a nearby resident, said he is against changing the name and was surprised at the new effort. He said the public should have more of a say.
“I think this has to be thought through a little bit more rather than just the flavor of the month,” Dirks told the board.
The proposal comes after a failed attempt to rename The Paseo to honor King. That attempt began in 2018 when a group of East Side ministers went to the parks board, before turning to an initiative petition drive and then the City Council.
The City Council voted in January 2019 to rename The Paseo for King, but months later, residents overwhelmingly voted to return the name to The Paseo.
After the vote, Mayor Quinton Lucas asked the parks board to invite public comment on other ways to honor King.
Reggie Broughton, 50, asked why street names such as J.C. Nichols Parkway were not questioned until recently. After years of criticism that Nichols used racist policies in his housing developments, the board in June switched the street to its original name, Mill Creek Parkway.
“When it comes to a white guy, it’s just done,” Broughton said of naming the street after Nichols in the 1950s. “It’s never voted on. When it comes to us, it’s always a vote. … It’s always white people that have to feel comfortable in order for something to get done.”
Broughton also criticized the timing of the 2 p.m. meeting, saying more people could attend in the evening after work. He said he took the day off to attend.
Pat Clarke, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, said that he supported naming the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport to honor King and that he could picture himself flying into MLK airport.
“Martin Luther King Jr. was more than a street,” Clarke said. “To me, I don’t think we’re honoring him by putting a street in Kansas City.”
Samantha Johnson recommended renaming Troost Avenue, named for Dr. Benoist Troost, a Dutch physician and slave owner. She said she also supported renaming the airport in honor of King.
Another woman said she supported investment in Martin Luther King, Jr. Square Park. The park is getting a new playground, thanks to a donation from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ foundation.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City first presented the boulevard plan to the parks department last month.
A second hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 3700 Blue Parkway.
The board will meet on Sept. 29 to likely vote on the proposal, depending on public comments at both hearings. The board does not have jurisdiction over the entire stretch of road, so that portion of the plan would have to be approved by City Council.
This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 5:30 PM.
