Black Lives Matter 5280 will hold a car rally on Wednesday evening to celebrate Stapleton's decision to move forward with changing the neighborhood's name.
During an Instagram live video announcing the rally, BLM 5280 organizer Amy E. Brown said the group didn't want the change to be characterized as a sudden one. She repeatedly referred to the area as the "Neighborhood Formerly Known as Stapleton."
"So many people have worked on this for decades, decades" Brown said. "Because we were promised the name of a Klansman would not be something that we had to live under and pretend was not a harmful and a monument for white supremacy."
Organizers want people to bring signs with new neighborhood name suggestions, as well as car decorations. They also invite people to list additional demands from the group, including calls for affordable housing. Brown said she likes the idea of renaming the neighborhood after Justina Ford, Denver's first licensed Black woman doctor.
The rally will begin at 6 p.m. at Shorter Community AME Church parking lot at 3100 Richard Allen Ct. and move toward Stapleton. Brown said there would be some stops along the way. She added that the rally will be a coronavirus-conscious event and said people will not be asked to leave their cars. Neighborhood residents are invited to show their support by waving at the rally from their front lawns or sidewalks on Wednesday.
