Martin Luther King Jr.'s name voted off historic boulevard in Kansas City

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Kansas City votes to replace Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard with original name

Less than a year after the Kansas City Council voted to rename The Paseo after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., voters have decided to change it back. Many residents who live along the 10-mile Paseo reportedly said they felt left out of the name-change process.

Nearly 70 percent of voters in a Kansas City, Mo. municipal election on Tuesday approved removing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s name from a historic boulevard.

The thoroughfare, known as The Paseo, had been named for the late civil rights icon in an 8-4 city council vote in January, FOX 4 in Kansas City reported.

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But soon after the vote, a movement called Save The Paseo gathered nearly 3,000 signatures from residents hoping to preserve the boulevard's long history and original name by putting the question on the ballot.

People wearing "Save The Paseo" shirts stand among attendees at a rally to keep a street named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Paseo Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 3, 2019. (Associated Press)

Many residents who live along the 10-mile Paseo reportedly said they felt left out of the name-change process.

Kansas City is one of the few large cities without a street honoring King, according to FOX 4.

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Other past suggestions for streets or buildings in the city to be named after King have gained little support.