DENVER (AP) - A Denver neighborhood is on track to change its name, possibly ending a decades-long debate over its association with a former mayor known for his Ku Klux Klan connection.
The 11 elected neighborhood delegates of the Stapleton Master Community Association said Sunday they plan to vote to recommend changing the name at a meeting Wednesday, The Denver Post reported.
The neighborhood was named for former Denver Mayor Benjamin F. Stapleton and built beginning in 2001 on the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.
Stapleton was the Denver mayor for 20 years between 1923 and 1947 and a member of the KKK.
The death of George Floyd and the ensuing unrest has heightened the discussion of a possible name change for the neighborhood.
Floyd, a black man, died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on his neck while he was handcuffed and lying on the ground. His death prompted protests across the U.S. and around the world against police brutality and racial injustice.
More than 65% of voting property owners opted to retain the Stapleton name in a referendum last summer.
The community association’s recommendation will be followed by a vote by a community board of directors. Brookfield Properties Development, the community’s master developer, and the city and County of Denver need to approve a name change.
Former gubernatorial candidate and state treasurer Walker Stapleton, the great-grandson of the former mayor, tweeted Sunday that he was disappointed the democratic process represented by previous resident votes was being overlooked.
But Stapleton said he supported the name change if it “brings more equity, fairness and opportunity” for Denver residents and Colorado residents of color.
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