Nashville's Forest Hills to change Confederate street names (Robert E. Lee Drive, etc)
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/city-of-forest-hills-petitions-to-change-streets-named-after-confederacy
"Cities across the nation have memorials and monuments that represent historical figures and events. However, as time progresses some of these pieces of history can be seen as insensitive and a catalyst for controversy.
The City of Forest Hills has been made aware of this reality recently because of five streets in the city: Confederate Drive, General Forrest Court, Robert E. Lee Court, Robert E. Lee Drive and Jefferson Davidson Drive.
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The City is concerned that people who live in the City, and people who pass through the City, do not know the origin of the names, i.e., that they were chosen by a developer, not by the elected and appointed leadership of the City, or the citizens in Forest Hills," the petition reads.
However, the streets themselves are a part of "public real property" meaning that Forest Hills owns the streets and is expected to maintain them, referenced in Act. TCA 4-1-412 (a)(8).
Since the streets are public real property named after historic entities and figures, they are considered memorials under TCA 4-1-412 (a)(7). This makes it necessary for the city to file the petition in order to change the names.
A list of potential names the streets could be given is also provided including Bent Tree Drive, Orchard Hill Drive, Box Turtle Court, Red Tail Hawk Drive and Winterberry Drive. These new name suggestions all reference wildlife and or plant life that are found within the City of Forest Hills."...(more)