Detroit City Council members want to rename Hart Plaza after Martin Luther King Jr.

**Airforceguy** · July-26-23, 05:11 PM

I don't support this idea.

Detroit City Council members initially eyed changing the name to "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza," a move proposed by Councilmember Mary Waters. One of the plaza's "most momentous occasions" included hosting the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. after the 1963 Freedom Walk, where he delivered the precursor to his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, according to the proposed resolution. But after Tuesday's session, Waters told reporters the proposed resolution has been updated to call for naming it "Hart/King Plaza."
Voting on the proposed change is expected to take place after Labor Day, which is when council members return from their August recess. The resolution is moving to the Neighborhood and Community Services Standing Committee on Thursday for discussion.Waters said in a statement to the Free Press that the measure came about from conversations she had with constituents in northwest Detroit who were "appalled by the violence" in the city.

"They wanted to see us have a place in Detroit that lived up to Dr. King's mission of nonviolence, of peacefully welcoming all. What better place to embody the spirit of Dr. King than the site where he gave" a version of "his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech?' " Waters said.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...a/70462222007/

**stasu1213** · July-26-23, 06:16 PM

I don't agree with this. Leave the name Hart Plaza

**DetroitSoldier** · July-26-23, 08:48 PM

There would have been no voting rights act of 1965 without Hart. He was a key component in advancing several important pieces of legislation during the Civil Rights Era. I think the MLK statue in a Plaza named after Hart is perfectly appropriate. It speaks well about two of Detroit's great contributions to that period. Let's not change it without cause!

**Jason** · July-26-23, 08:51 PM

King gave his speech in Cobo Arena after marching down Woodward. Hart Plaza hadn't even started construction until over a decade after the speech. It was empty land used for parking. So King walked past a parking lot, which makes the parking lot a historic landmark, so the park that was built on that land should be renamed after King?

Phil Hart is one of the greatest political leaders we have ever produced, and was universally respected. He lived up to every ideal of American democracy in a way that few ever have.

King of course is a more important historical figure, but he's not a Detroiter. He gave a lot of speeches at a lot of places as part of his work in the civil rights movement, and Detroit was just one of them. If we want to honor him we could start by keeping the things we've already named after him in decent condition.

Also I don't think the guy mugging you at the gas station is really thinking about what Hart Plaza is named.

**Gistok** · July-27-23, 04:34 AM

Just a footnote... there are 3 US Senate office buildings in Washington DC.

The [opened 1908] Russell Office Building.
The [opened 1958] Dirksen Office Building.
The [opened 1982] Hart Office Building.

**preserve** · July-27-23, 10:31 AM

Why change it? Can't the city counsel find something else to do besides change bldg names, street names, park names????

**K-slice** · July-27-23, 10:57 AM

100% against, and will email every member of council to tell them so.

**drjeff** · July-27-23, 12:18 PM

There's already a major street named after Dr. King plus the statue. This is unnecessary. It's not like Hart was Cobo.

**JVLIVS** · July-27-23, 01:51 PM

Pass on that!

**Danny** · July-27-23, 04:08 PM

Detroit already have a MLK Blvd. Why do we need to MLK Plaza? Hart Plaza name stays!

**Lowell** · July-27-23, 04:50 PM

If they must... at least make it the Hart-King plaza.

**401don** · July-27-23, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

If they must... at least make it the Hart-King plaza.

Until someone else comes along.

**Richard** · July-27-23, 05:33 PM

Meh - nobody follows the speech points anyways,so he had a dream,sounded good at the time but ….

Sounds like Hart was and is a more fitting name.

**Honky Tonk** · July-27-23, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

If they must... at least make it the Hart-King plaza.

How about the King-Hart plaza?

**Wesley Mouch** · July-30-23, 10:51 AM

Re-naming to decolonize is the Current Thing. I could live w MLK Plaza, but next time I'll be less happy with Ibrahim X. Kendi Plaza.

**401don** · July-30-23, 05:30 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

How about the King-Hart plaza?

Or King Tut plaza in honor of the other Martin.

**Honky Tonk** · July-30-23, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by 401don

Or King Tut plaza in honor of the other Martin.

With an engraved plaque: "Born in Arizona,
Moved to Babylonia."

**Hermod** · August-04-23, 11:28 PM

Wasn't it once called Campus Martius or something like that?

**Jimaz** · August-06-23, 04:17 PM

Sometimes I think we're way too obsessive about naming things. I understand it's intended as a form of reverence and that's fine.

It just seems it would last longer to carve the name into granite instead. That would leave something for future archaeologists to ponder.

The only practical reason for naming things is to differentiate between things that would otherwise be confused. {Said the guy who once caught himself driving toward the wrong Springfield.

}

**Henry Whalley** · August-06-23, 07:03 PM

How about Dr. Ralph Bunch Plaza?

1bcfafbc72b612b88d71e4bd3fed31bb [[493×500) [[calisphere.org)

Ralph Bunche - Yahoo Image Search Results

**Jason** · August-07-23, 10:37 PM

There's already a park a mile down Jefferson named after Ralph Bunche, although I'm glad to have just learned about who that actually is.

**Franksgoodnephew** · October-29-23, 03:32 PM

I agree. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

**canuck** · October-29-23, 03:39 PM

Come on Franksgoodnephew, you’re on a roll, don’t give up!
You have 12,000 other threads to respond to!

**Zacha341** · October-29-23, 04:28 PM

Hah! Kendi has his own problems as it turns out.

While some of the same want to re-colonize others [including other nations] with their grand ideas [not always met with the enthusiasm they assumed]...