A group of Hollywood residents and members of the business community want the city to reverse course and keep several street names that honor former Confederate generals.
The coalition, named "Save Our Streets," was created by those who live and work on Lee, Hood and Forrest Streets in the city. The group held a Tuesday press conference to present their position on the issue.
"Why are you living in the past? Why not live in the present? These streets have been here since 1926, why change them now?" Sylvia Koutsodontis said.
"I have a lot of connection to our history, and we don't want to see our history changed or re-written because some people don't like it," David Nash said.
Earlier this year, protesters both for and against the street names held events in front of City Hall – which led to the arrest of five people. The city voted to bypass a rule requiring residents to vote on the matter, saying they would decide later this year on a two-year phasing out of the street names.
Cynthia Mitchell, who has lived on Hood Street for 23 years, said she wants a new address.
"Here is a black neighborhood and to have a street after those people set up, I don't think we should have that," she said.
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Hollywood would join a growing list of locations – including Orlando and New Orleans – who have removed items honoring those who led the Confederacy during the Civil War. The street names have been in place for decades and honor both Robert E. Lee, perhaps the most high profile general of Southern troops, and Nathan Bedford Forrest, who went on to become one of the first leaders of the Ku Klux Klan.
