Detroit's Hart Plaza has been open for nearly 50 years, and it could be getting a new name. Detroit City Councilwoman Mary Waters has proposed to rename the plaza.
According to the Detroit City Council agenda for Tuesday's meeting, Waters wants to rename Hart Plaza to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza.
Last month as part of the NAACP's June Jubilee celebration, a statue of King was unveiled at Hart Plaza.
On Tuesday morning, Sam Riddle, political director of Michigan National Action Network, stated he was opposed to the removal of Hart's name.
"I knew Senator Phil Hart. Hart was a good man. Without Senator Hart there would have been no Voting Rights Act of 1965. King gave the speech but it was Martin Luther King Jr.'s teammate Phil Hart, the conscience of the U.S. Senate, that shepherded that Voting Rights Act of 1965 making it the law of the land," said Riddle in part in a statement.
Riddle is planning to speak at today's council meeting.
According to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Hart Plaza opened in 1975 along the Detroit Riverfront at the intersection of Woodward Ave. and Jefferson.
The 14-acre plaza is named for the late U.S. Sen. Philip Hart, who served from 1959-1976 and was previously the lieutenant governor.
The resolution was referred to the neighborhood and community services standing committee.
