TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Tulsa’s city leaders are divided over whether to rename a popular downtown street named for a businessman who was in the Ku Klux Klan.
But some residents worry a drawn-out fight could send the message that the city still embraces intolerance.
Council members informally split 4-4 Thursday on whether to take Wyatt Tate Brady‘s name off a street. He helped found Tulsa a century ago and may have helped kindle a 1921 race riot.
A ninth member was absent and could break the tie at next week’s formal vote.
Some residents say Tulsa should keep Brady Street but use his story as a way to teach future generations about the dangers of racial intolerance.
Others question why the city would keep a street name linked to the oppression of blacks.
(Photo: AP)