Renaming Street Raises Questions

In reference to the recent decision to change the name of Compton Boulevard by the Gardena City Council, one has to wonder about and question the council’s real motives behind the proposal and the subsequent passage.

Earlier in the year when the idea was first presented, the main reason given by some council members was that businesses and some residents were having deliveries taken to the same addresses in Compton instead of Gardena. Also, the council stated it would rename the boulevard Marine Avenue, so it will be a continuation of the avenue of the same name in Redondo Beach, thus making Gardena consistent with that city.

A little more than a year ago, Paramount changed its stretch of Compton Boulevard to Somerset Boulevard, citing reasons of declining property values and a much-needed boost to its city’s image.

My question is, will changing a street’s name really solve the alleged “problems” these cities are facing? Or is it because Compton, a city that is at least 80% African-American, has something to do with it?

As a person who was educated in Compton from Head Start to Compton College, I often wonder about that. I really believe the bottom line for both of these cities’ actions is that they basically don’t consider Compton worthy of having a street bearing its name go through their cities. Not only does this “name change” problem bother me (as I’m sure it does many others), but also the eagerness of the media to only report on the negatives that involve Compton.

The “Hub City,” as it is known locally, is really on the upswing. A new convention center and first-rate hotel are being constructed; the city celebrated its centennial of incorporation in 1988, and a new community of affordable single-family residences is making home ownership possible for hundreds who have been priced out of the market virtually everywhere else in Southern California.

So, instead of the Gardena City Council spending a reported $1,855 (of taxpayers’ money, no doubt) changing the name of Compton Boulevard to eliminate any association with Compton, I, as a Gardena citizen, challenge them to use this money to work with Compton, Paramount and any other city in the South Bay (that’s willing) to make the quality of life better for us all.

CHARLES L. REED

Gardena