June 3
More than a year after the Muncie City Council voted againstrenaming Broadway Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, amediation group has reached what it calls a compromise to a heateddebate.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Mediation group will send a proposedordinance to the city council asking that a portion of BroadwayAvenue be memoralized for two years and then permanentlyrenamed.
"The purpose is to honor all those who have struggled with civilrights," Thomas Perchlick, chairman of the mediation group, said ata press conference Thursday.
Black leaders in Muncie have fought to rename Broadway Avenuesince January 2003. The city council voted 7-2 against the proposallast summer, though, because council members said businesses wouldlose money from the address change. The vote caused so much tensionthat the city brought in a federal mediator to help both sidesreach an agreement.
Perchlick said despite ideas suggested as alternatives torenaming Broadway Avenue, the group decided renaming would be thebest symbol of moving race relations in Muncie forward.
"It's just a symbol, but an important one," Perchlick said. "Thestreet would be tangible, visible."
The current Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which blackleaders say is small, out of the way and unkempt, would be renamedat a later date.
Muncie has long suffered problems with race relations, AamirShabazz, president of the Islamic Center of Muncie, said.
Shabazz blames economic problems on the poor quality of racerelations because employers want a healthy community, he said.
"This situation in Muncie is so critical that everyone has togive up something," Shabazz said. "All of our children, all of ourgrandchildren are out of here because there's nothing forthem."
Perchlick said the mediation group compromised by asking thatonly a section of Broadway Avenue, from the railroad tracks nearthe White River to McGalliard Road, be renamed. The originalproposal called for the entire avenue to be renamed.
The mediation conducted an informal survey and found that peoplewere in favor of renaming a section of Broadway Avenue but not thewhole street, Pat Fields, president of the Muncie Chapter of theNAACP, said.
Shabazz said he wanted businesses to compromise by accepting theaddress change to help improve race relations in Muncie.
However, David Taylor, city council member, said he would onlyvote for memoralization because renaming the avenue would be aninconvenience for businesses. His vote has nothing to do withfeelings on race, he said.
"If they wanted to rename McGalliard Road to Ronald Reagan Road,I'd vote no," Taylor said.
Council members Monte Murphy, Alison Quirk and Bill Shroyer saidthey supported the proposal, along with Mayor Dan Canan.
However, Canan will only sign the ordinance if the city councilpasses it, he said.
The city council will vote on the ordinance at its Augustmeeting.
The mediation group will continue to push for renaming if thecouncil votes against the ordinance, Murphy said.
"If it doesn't pass, this issue will not go away," Murphysaid.
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