Hollywood shouldn’t rename streets to appease outsiders

There is an effort underway to rename streets originally established by the founders of Hollywood to more generic non-military, non-veteran names. Our community has been shaken by a handful of mostly out-of-town instigators who are not stakeholders. Unfortunately, several city commissioners and the mayor have been influenced by these individuals, who have held demonstrations and filled seats at the city council meeting, dominating the discussions that have occurred.

We were disheartened to see the radicalization and violence in Virginia over the weekend. We denounce the violence from both sides. Our effort to Save Our Streets does not include any organizations other than legitimate American veterans and Heritage groups.

Hollywood’s established policy outlines the procedure necessary for residents to seek a change in the name of the street on which they reside. No individual Hollywood taxpayer has ever chosen to pursue that process to petition the city to change their street name.

Many of us, actually an overwhelming majority of Hollywood taxpayers according to a survey by a nationally recognized opinion research firm, do not favor the move by the council to take away our freedom of choice in changing the street names for the several streets that were named for military leaders of the former Confederacy. An overwhelming majority do not support the moves that have swept several communities in erasing all references to the Confederacy and those soldiers that left the comfort of home to fight for their community and state in that conflict.

We have two distinct issues that have been incorrectly rolled into one. The primary objection from those of us living on the three streets involved is that the city should not take away our choice in self-determination. It is simply wrong for the city to change rules to accommodate a few. Vox Populi, the cry of the historic Greek society that established democratic principles, was the foundation of our constitutional Republic. The “Voice of the People” is being sidelined by a small cabal determined to impose their misguided will on us. The actions of the city council in taking away our right to choice is the very antithesis of democratic principles and free will among citizens.

I have lived on Lee street for over 30 years and also have a business there. I strongly oppose changing the procedures to take away our free speech in any attempt to rename the streets in question. Most of my neighbors, many of whom are African American, are also strongly opposed to changing the names of their streets.

The second issue is the efforts of a few to eradicate the memory of war veterans who fought on the South’s side during the war. This attempt to alter and destroy historical monuments, markers, street names, schools and the like violates the very foundation of free speech as enumerated in the First Amendment of our Bill of Rights. Our Founding Fathers, in open rebellion against their central government, fought a long and bloody war to establish the rights of all in our society, not just a few. To use dictatorial methods to attempt to alter modernday understanding of the history of our nation, for better or worse, is an attack on free speech and by its essence exclusionary, not inclusionary.

MIKE STOCKER/ STAFF FILE PHOTO The street sign for Forrest Street and 22nd Avenue in Hollywood will be changed. City commissioners agreed to rename the streets named for Robert E. Lee, John Bell Hood and Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was the first grand wizard of the KKK.