Saving Alcaniz Street: Line in the sand

If anyone wasn’t sure of the seriousness of those who wish to rename the remaining portion of Alcaniz Street in honour of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., let me share with you the words of Leroy Boyd, president of Movement for Change, as he delivered them to Council on Monday:

We have signs we’ve made up and put in our yard, that say, “Is south of Cervantes Street just for white people only?”  We cannot identify ten black families that have relocated downtown, south of Cervantes, within the CRA district, in the last ten years.  Not ten black families.  So we ask the question, “Is it for white people only?”  When it comes around to having a street named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., all the way, no compromise, all the way to Main Street, we said from I-110 interchange, where exit 4 is … The letter we wrote talks about I-110 interstate and Exit 4, southward to the intersection at Main Street.

We’re not going to compromise with the Council again as we did last time.  We compromised with you with this.  Now, we live in this City just like you live in this City.  South of Cervantes is not limited to white people only.  It is not.  Well, you want to make it seem that it is.  If we want to brawl the ugly faces out by making it racial, it is racial, make no mistake about what I’m saying to you now.  I was hoping it would not come to this.  I talked with Mr. Wiggins six weeks ago, six weeks ago, about this issue.  He had all the opportunity in the world if he wanted to be pointative, and address this to the Council, he could have done this.  I didn’t talk to Councilman Nobles, I did not talk to him.  I didn’t talk to Mayor Fogg.  I talked to Mike Wiggins, who is my Councilman, just like he is yours.  I don’t have to go all the way to my Councilman, District 5 representative John Jerralds, I don’t have to do that.  The at-large representative is mine, just like he is yours. They don’t just represent white folks;  they’re supposed to represent all citizens within the City. That is not the case.

When black folks come down here to ask for something, always we got to find some type of technicality or some kind of garbage to put in place, to include using black Councilpeople to justify what’s going on.  I’m saying to you, if you want Pensacola to be seen as a racist city, so be it.  We can help you, and we will help you.  We already know that south of Cervantes Street is prima donna, it’s off-limits to black folks for business, because you’ve priced them out.

Mr. Boyd has drawn a line in the sand.  He will accept no compromise.  I encourage those who value Pensacola history and the sanctity of the name of a hundreds-of-years-old street that traverses two historic districts to stay on top of this, and to continue to make their voices heard.

Also, our friends at The Lunch Counter spoke before Council on Monday, and had a conversation with Mr. Boyd afterward.  Check out his report: “Renaming Alcaniz Street, Part 2″.