Renewed Push To Have Philadelphia Rename Taney Street, Columbus Boulevard
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Amid national movements to remove Confederate monuments, there is a renewed push to have the City of Philadelphia rename Taney Street. The street is named after Roger B. Taney, the fifth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Taney authored the infamous Dred Scott decision, which stated that black people, whether free or enslaved, could not be an American citizen.
Mayor Jim Kenney has supported the renaming in the past.
"The mayor is aware of previous efforts to change the name of Taney Street and he supports it. He is not currently aware of advocacy to change the name of Columbus Boulevard, but would be supportive of restoring the street to Delaware Avenue for the entire length again," a spokesperson for the mayor told CBS3.
"In either case, an ordinance would have to be introduced and passed by City Council. To date, there have not been any bills or resolutions introduced on the topic."
Taney Street runs intermittently between 26th and 27th Streets through Grays Ferry, Fitler Square, Fairmount, Brewerytown and Strawberry Mansion.
Delaware Avenue is also a trending topic in the city as Christopher Columbus statues have been targeted across the country.
A portion of the street was renamed Columbus Boulevard in 1992 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Columbus sailing to America.
The name change has been met with disapproval by civic groups and Native Americans ever since.
