Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood will soon have a new name.
A day after Denver Public Schools board member Tay Anderson said he would lead a demonstration through the east Denver neighborhood protesting its name, the Master Community Association announced it is “taking steps to remove the name ‘Stapleton’ as it relates to the community and its operations.”
The neighborhood association’s 11 elected delegates plan to meet Wednesday to begin the process of removing the name from the community. Its renaming will also have to include the City and County of Denver and community developer Brookfield.
“The current conversation regarding racism and social injustice has increased awareness and education within our community,” a statement on the association website read. “It has become more clear that continuing with the current name is hurtful to many residents of all background and life experiences. As a community that aims to foster inclusivity, diversity and respect, maintaining the current name only serves to divide us.”
Anderson, who has helped direct recent police protests in Denver, tweeted Saturday morning: “The neighbors of Stapleton have ONE WEEK to change their name … if they do NOT we will march through their neighborhood to show them #BlackLivesMatter.”
The neighborhood gets its name former Mayor Benjamin F. Stapleton, who had ties with the Ku Klux Klan. It was built on the site of a former airport that had the same name.
In July 2019, more than 65% of property owners who participated in a referendum rejected a proposal to change the name. But on Sunday morning, the community association announced its intention to vote to recommend to its board the following:
- Removal of the name Stapleton from all branding, marketing and outreach materials, including signage
- Update documents to remove the reference to Stapleton as the community name
- Support Stapleton United Neighbors (SUN) efforts to come up with a new name as quickly as possible
- Send a resolution to the City and County of Denver and Brookfield requesting that they replace the name Stapleton with our new community name as the neighborhood identifier
“It is our hope that by changing the name of the community, we will send a strong message that we are an inclusive neighborhood that does not support racism, hatred or bigotry,” the association statement read. “Rather, we are a thriving community that values diversity, inclusion, equity and respect, and we encourage others in our community to join us as we stand up against systemic racism.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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