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The Roanoke Times (Virginia)
CHARLOTTESVILLE — After months of public debate, official decisions and heated controversy, Charlottesville's City Council on Monday voted to rename Lee Park as Emancipation Park and Jackson Park as Justice Park.
The council vote on the matter was preceded by a testy public comment period during which several individuals were removed from the council chambers for interruptions.
In recent weeks, tensions have simmered following a series of protests and confrontations between ideologues who have been at loggerheads over the recommendations from last year's Blue Ribbon Commission on Race, Memorials and Public Spaces.
The commission recommended renaming the parks in response to its charge to study whether the city should move the city's statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
The commission ultimately recommended either moving the statues to McIntire Park or "transforming" them in their respective namesake parks.
Of the more than 2,600 name suggestions that were submitted to the city in an online survey, approximately 2,200 of them included "Lee" or "Jackson."
Drawing from suggestions that were reviewed by the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Historic Resources Committee, the following names were presented to the council as "top appropriate suggestions":
For Lee Park: Monacan Park, Sally Hemings Park, Vinegar Hill Park, Unity Park and Freedom Park .
For Jackson Park: Court Square/Courthouse Park, Sally Hemings Park, 13th Amendment Park, Freedom Park and McKee Park.
Chris Suarez is a reporter for The Daily Progress. Contact him at (434) 978-7274, [email protected] or @Suarez_CM on Twitter.
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