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Source: Tulsa World, Okla.迷你倉沙田Aug. 09--City councilors voted Thursday to postpone for one week a vote to rename Brady Street to Burlington Street to allow Councilor Phil Lakin to return from vacation and cast the deciding vote.Councilor Jack Henderson asked for the continuance after it became clear that the council was deadlocked on the issue.Under council rules, a tie vote would have been counted as a "no" vote.After hearing from dozens of residents, Councilors Henderson, Skip Steele, G.T. Bynum and Blake Ewing expressed their support for the name change.Councilors Jeannie Cue, Karen Gilbert, David Patrick and Arianna Moore said they intended to vote against it.The council's action marks the culmination of nearly three months of public debate over whether a city street should be named for someone who was once a Ku Klux Klan member.Brady Street is named after Wyatt "Tate" Brady, an early Tulsa businessman and one of the signers of Tulsa's papers of incorporation.Brady acknowledged his membership in the Klan during testimony before a military tribunal in 1923. By that time, he had left the organization over political differences.Some people have gone so far as to accuse Brady of being one of the instigators of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot.That claim has not been proved, and some think it is completely unwarranted.Thursday's meeting drew a crowd of about 200 people, a quarter of whom stood to give their opinions.The majority spoke in support of the name change, saying it was time for Tulsa to stop honoring a man with undisputed ties to the Ku Klux Klan."No one's trying to change history. We just want the truth added," said Kavin Ross.Several speakers turned to speak directly to Mayor Dewey Bartlett, who was seated in the front row. Bartlett said last week that he opposed the name change."I don't want my city to honor one of my oppressors," said one young woman.One of the night's most eloquent and passionate speakers, Chief Egunwale Amusan, quoted documents that allege Brady's involvement in the 1917 tarring and feathering of 17 men."He was a vicious criminal," he said.Those who spoke against the name change said it is important to remember the city's past, not bury it."If erasing the memories of the (1921 Race) Riot is your intention, then you may be on your way to a time when all of that is forgotten," said Robert Fleischman, president of the Brady Arts District Business Associatio迷你倉價錢.Bartlett sat through the more than three-hour meeting and then stood to say that while he still opposes the name change, "I still am very supportive of the concept of one Tulsa."Gilbert called the Brady vote a difficult one."Changing the name of a street is not going to forget history," she said.Cue, her voice breaking, apologized for her planned vote but said she had to follow the lead of her constituents."I have to respect the people in my district that I have made a promise to," she said.Patrick, the council chairman, said he also could not support the name change because the constituents from whom he's heard are overwhelmingly opposed to it.Henderson said Thursday's vote was Tulsa's chance to "say to people of color, 'We're in this with you.' ""Brady District isn't going to die if we take the name off the street," he said.Bynum said his decision ultimately came down to a matter of conscience."Leadership matters, and I cannot see a good reason why we should vote to keep his name on the street," Bynum said.Councilor Blake Ewing said it is appropriate for a government to remove a name it has bestowed when it learns that the name will dishonor the city."I don't want to live in a city that honors dishonorable people," he said.The push to rename Brady Street began in June, when a group of residents, led by the Coalition for Social Justice, called for city councilors to change the name of the Brady Arts District.But because the council has no authority to change the name of private associations or businesses but can change street names, councilors turned their attention to Brady Street.Proponents of the name change have argued that the city should not be honoring a person who was associated with the Klan.The Burlington name comes from a 1907 city ordinance that shows Burlington Street as the original name given to Second Street North.But that name was scratched out and "Brady Street" was written in its place.The voteSupporting the name change: Councilors Jack Henderson, Skip Steele, G.T. Bynum and Blake Ewing.Opposing the name change: Councilors Jeannie Cue, Karen Gilbert, David Patrick and Arianna Moore.The tie-breaker: Councilor Phil Lakin, who is on vacation this week.Kevin Canfield 918-581-8313kevin.canfield@tulsaworld.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉庫

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