Much of Zephyrhills learned the art of compromise over the past two weeks, though extreme viewpoints on both sides of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. street renaming remain unsatisfied. Appeasing them is unlikely.
The challenge ahead is to ensure the angry sentiments are pushed to the fringe to make way for community healing via increased tolerance and a more inclusive dialogue on civic matters.
Toward that end, City Manager Steve Spina said he plans to schedule diversity workshops for city employees, council members and the general public. Also, at the regular monthly meeting of the Zephyrhills-Wesley Chapel Ministerial Association on Tuesday morning, city administrators asked area ministers to become involved through their own church work and through the messages they send to their congregations. Participation from all quarters is welcome.
Much work needs to be done as evidenced by Monday evening's boisterous City Council meeting and 4-1 vote to restore a street name to Sixth Avenue, while allowing commemorative signs honoring slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to remain in place.
The compromise, suggested initially by council member Gina King weeks ago, was resurrected Monday by Liz Geiger. Opposing the maneuver, after many members of the black community endorsed it as a suitable way to honor Dr. King, showed the deep-rooted sentiments go beyond the stated reasons of inconvenience and an uninterrupted numerical street grid. Those still in opposition should examine their true motives.
Certainly, changing the name from Sixth to Martin Luther King Avenue was handled inadequately last fall. Nearly everyone agrees on that point because the council action overlooked a 1987 ordinance governing street names. It helped Gina King win election last month, and Monday night it allowed council colleague Cathi Compton to lay blame conveniently at the feet of city administrators.
But, after Compton's buck-passing, she also realized more good could come from the middle ground. She offered words of encouragement to council member King that compromise is beneficial.
King, however, missed the point. She suggested during her campaign to keep the Martin Luther King Avenue street signs after rechristening the street Sixth Avenue. Yet Monday night she opposed a compromise to do just that. She also wondered aloud about her own idea of naming the new city library after Dr. King.
Credit council member King for considering alternatives, at least when they are her own idea. Failing to support the compromise is another curious flip-flop for the newest council member. So, too, is her stated reason that the MLK signs will serve as a reminder of the ill will created by this episode.
That is exactly why they should stay. Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King on the 40th anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington, D.C., was the impetus for the initial street renaming. At this point, that is almost a secondary consideration.
The street signs now should be pause for reflection. They should be in place to help the community's conscience recognize that intolerance is an ugly civic characteristic worthy of extinction.
