Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Naming parks after rich white guys -- same old story

St. Augustine just named a skate park after a rich white guy, rejecting the idea of naming it after some of the young people who were actual skaters. See below.

There was apparently no discussion of naming the park for an African-American. Nor was there any advance notice to the community about the Upchurch naming plan -- simply an agenda item on naming the park (located in Davis Shores).

In the legislature, Hamilton Upchurch fanatically blocked the Equal Rights Amendment, almost single-handledly depriving supporters of Florida's support. Upchurch was the scion of an arch-segregationist family.

Four generations of Upchurches served in the Florida legislature.

The last time I saw Hamilton Upchurch speak in public, he opposed the controversial St. Johns County Charter, for some of the same reasons I opposed it at that same meeting.

Hamilton Upchurch helped to kill bad ideas (the Charter) as well as good ideas (the Equal Rights Amendment). Unlike our City burghers, as a legislator, Hamilton Uprchurch apparently actually listened to people, and if you disagreed with him, he'd still speak to you (not bark at you, the way ERROL JONES a/k/a ERRONEOUS JONES does).

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