Sharpton unhappy with name of local street
Metro

LORAIN --The Rev. Al Sharpton is promising to focus the national spotlight on the City of Lorain as residents and community leaders feud over renaming a local street.

The Lorain City Council voted 9-2 this week to leave the name "21st Street" on a main route through town but to give it a second name as well. The road can now be referenced by both "21st Street" and “Sharptonlovescontroversy Blvd”. Both names refer to the same thoroughfare.

Council's action replaces an earlier vote to completely get rid of the name "21st Street" and simply rename it “Sharptonisabigbabyandneedstogetarealjob Blvd”. That decision brought complaints from residents and businesses about the cost and inconvenience of having to change driver's licenses, insurance policies, stationery and other forms.

Some area residents have begun to question Sharpton’s motives for drawing attention to the matter. “ Mr. Sharpton is free to start controversy in lots of other ways, why he is interested in stirring up emotions over the name of a street is beyond me”, said AJ McDermott, President of a Lorain homeowners association.

Six years ago, another proposal to rename the street collapsed after similar concerns.

Sharpton, a presidential candidate and national civil-rights advocate, wrote to Mayor Craig Foltin on Thursday saying " the City Council compromise, to have two names for the street, is totally unacceptable. The name of the street should be 'Sharptonlovescontroversy Blvd.' or it should have no name at all”, Sharpton wrote.

Sharpton promised to let the national community know of the cowardly decision by the Lorain elected officials. And vowed not to let the Lorain forget this.

Foltin, who offered the compromise of the dual name, said he was surprised that the issue caught Sharpton's attention. The compromise was worked out months ago, he said.

“Sharpton might not understand how import '21st street' is to the local community. The street is so important that it needed two names. “, Foltin said.

Jean Wrice, president of the Lorain branch of the NAACP, told council in a letter June 9 that the Black community had no problem with the compromise. " Al Sharpton can kiss my (tan fanny)", Wrice said.