Reply #13: Does the MLK appellation really indicate a bad neighborhood? [View All]

I have been in cities (Philadelphia, maybe?) where Martin Luther King boulevards were in relatively neutral downtown and business areas, and admit I was surprised.

In my old neighborhood in DC, which is a poor neighbhood, when Nichols Avenue was renamed Martin Luther King Jurnior Avenue many years ago, I thought it was a good thing. Who in the area who lived on this street or used it every day ever knew or cared who Nichols was? But having a street named after Martin Luther King actually means something.

Although I no longer live in that neighborhood, I have noticed that another old street, Portland Street, which was an exit off the freeway, has been renamed Malcolm X Street.

And at one point it connects with Martin Luther King Junior Avenue.