Compton : Street Name-Change Efforts Labeled Racist

Trustees of the Compton Unified School District have passed a resolution stating their opposition to attempts by neighboring cities to change the name of Compton Boulevard, saying the underlying motivation for the change must be questioned as a “thinly disguised form of racism and anti-minority sentiment.”

Hawthorne, Gardena, Lawndale and Paramount are trying to change the street name within their city boundaries. The Paramount City Council already has renamed the stretch of Compton Boulevard that runs through its city.

The Compton school district, said the resolution, is “concerned about the image of . . . Compton and feels that a positive image should be emphasized.”