By Beacon Editorial Board
Activists, neighbors and business owners crowded Ockley Green Middle School in North Portland Tuesday night to debate renaming North Interstate Avenue - the street one block east of the school - to Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard.
The meeting was designed to be fair to both the committee that supports the name change and the neighbors and businesses that are against it. Before the debate began, Portland Mayor Tom Potter and City Commissioners Randy Leonard and Sam Adams asked that the crowd remain civil and respectful.
Their request fell on deaf ears.
Less than 10 minutes into the meeting, opponents to the name change were labeled racist. Throughout the debate, the audience launched angry words and outbursts at the speakers.
The crowd's conduct was inappropriate, but it should not have been unexpected. Many North Portland residents were outraged last fall when the City Council voted to rename North Portland Avenue to North Rosa Parks Way. Their disapproval stemmed from the City's failure to adequately notify neighbors before it approved the name change. Instead of going through a lengthy citizen-initiated process, City Council voted to approve the name change even though city code states that this method should happen only to correct errors or eliminate confusion.
So it should be no surprise that these same disapproving neighbors would be less than thrilled when City officials endorsed the Interstate name change before local neighborhood associations had officially voted on the proposal.
When they did vote, the Overlook and Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Associations - representing two of the three neighborhoods that Interstate runs through - overwhelmingly opposed the name change. The third neighborhood association, Kenton, initially endorsed the proposal, but then retracted its support after some neighbors said their opinions had not been considered.
Those who oppose the name change have cited valid concerns. According to the Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard Committee, taxpayers would be forced to fork over $15,000 to pay for new street signs and other expenses.
Businesses along Interstate would have to pay for updated signage and marketing materials. Those with the word "Interstate" in their name - like Interstate Flooring, Interstate Lanes and Interstate Video - might even have to rename their businesses so as to prevent customer confusion.
But whatever the reasons for supporting or opposing the renaming proposal, the bottom line is that the City circumvented its own procedure for street name changes. According to city code, City Council approval is the final requirement in a long process that involves gathering signatures, consulting a panel of historians, and going before the City's Planning Commission.
If city officials expect North Portland residents to debate the Chavez proposal in a graceful manner, they must first follow their own protocol. They must ensure that seeking neighbor input - from both those who support and those who oppose the change - is the first, not last, step in the process.
Otherwise, civil and respectful debate will remain wishful thinking.
