DENVER — A community rally is taking place in the Stapleton neighborhood of Denver on Saturday to support changing the area's name.
The Master Community Association (MCA) delegates met Wednesday afternoon and unanimously voted to recommend a change to the northeast Denver community's controversial name.
The Stapleton United Neighbors are gathering ideas for a new name for the neighborhood, and President Amanda Allshouse said they already have 100 suggestions. Those will be vetted and whittled down and the community will decide by a vote.
The MCA will then present the name to the board for final approval in August.
Stapleton's namesake is a former Denver mayor who was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. The neighborhood has put the decision to change the name to a vote in the past, but the votes have failed.
Last weekend, the MCA announced the name change process with a statement:
"The current conversation regarding racism and social injustice has increased awareness and education within our community," the statement says. "It has become more clear that continuing with the current name is hurtful to many residents of all backgrounds and life experiences. As a community that aims to foster inclusivity, diversity and respect, maintaining the current name only serves to divide us."
Tay Anderson, a Denver Public Schools Board of Education member and community leader, had said it was one of his goals to change the name of the neighborhood.
The day before the announcement by the MCA, Anderson tweeted that protesters would begin marching in the area if the neighborhood did not change its name in the next week.
By Monday, the removal of the name had already begun. Community signs that would normally read "Stapleton" in bold were being removed, covered up or painted over.
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