Hollywood, protesters set for street name vote

After years of controversy, Hollywood is bracing for yet another protest this week over a plan to rename streets named for Confederate generals.

Police were out in force for the first protest in June and say they’ll be ready again, especially in light of the tragic events in Charlottesville, Va., where one woman was killed and 19 people injured when an Ohio man mowed through the crowd with his car.

Hollywood officials are anticipating a big crowd Wednesday, with a rally outside City Hall planned at noon. Commissioners are expected to make a final decision on whether to rename the streets later in the afternoon.

“We are prepared for crowds because of the attention the issue of Confederate monuments has gotten locally and nationally,” said Hollywood spokeswoman Raelin Storey. “We are prepared for this to be an emotional debate, but we are not expecting violence. But given the situation we saw in Charlottesville and other cities, we will be prepared.”

Hollywood activist Carlos Valnera, one of the protest organizers, said, “We are hoping nothing happens, but you never know.”

More than 100 protesters on both sides faced off on June 21 when the long-brewing issue came up for debate at City Hall.

One group said the streets honor historical figures who don’t deserve to be honored while the other argued changing the names of the streets won’t change history.

Some people carried Confederate flags while the opposing side toted “Take Them Down” signs.

State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, joined the protest to rename the streets and said he was called a racial slur.

Several officers lined up back to back to separate the two sides while commissioners debated the issue before a packed house.

Police moved in quickly to arrest five protesters who want the streets renamed after they disrupted the meeting by shouting and yelling while commissioners discussed another topic.

More than a week later, Hollywood commissioners tentatively agreed to rename streets honoring three Civil War-era generals: Robert E. Lee, John Bell Hood and Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was also first grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

A call to rename Forrest Street went ignored 15 years ago. The controversy resurfaced in 2015 when vandals painted over the street signs.

Under current plans, Forrest Street would become Savannah Street, Hood Street would change to Macon, and Lee would become Louisville.

All three streets extend through the entire city, but only two — Forrest and Hood — run through the predominantly black Liberia neighborhood.

“The tragedy in Charlottesville at the hands of alt-right and pro-Confederate groups was a grim reminder of what Confederate symbols stand for and how white supremacists still cling to them today,” protest organizer Wendy King said in a prepared statement.

Both protests were organized by several groups working together, including Black Lives Matter Alliance Broward, the Broward Green Party and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. They were not required to get a permit because the issue was on the commission agenda, a city official said.

Several prominent leaders around Broward County have called on Hollywood to change the street names, including Sheriff Scott Israel, Broward Property Appraiser Marty Kiar and Public Defender Howard Finkelstein.

State Attorney Mike Satz is also urging Hollywood to do the right thing.

“Bigotry and hatred have no place in our communities,” he said in a prepared statement. “Our community members who live on and have businesses on these streets need not be reminded on a daily basis the terror and horrendous acts carried out due to hatred. We can never erase the wounds of our past; however, we can work towards healing them to ensure that everyone feels welcomed, safe and valued.”