WASHINGTON — The debate over whether D.C. should rename a heavily used road has once grabbed the attention of lawmakers and the public.
Ward Eight Councilmember Trayon White recently introduced emergency legislation to rename the entirety of Good Hope Road to Marion Barry Avenue.
Barry, also known as the District’s “Mayor for Life”, served two stints as D.C.’s mayor. He also served on the DC Council before his death in 2014.
White has proposed naming the road, which runs through wards seven and eight, in the past. However, he posted a two-minute video to Instagram Monday stating he was disappointed that DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson had pulled his legislation from Tuesday’s council agenda.
“This is an assault on our intelligence and our democracy,” White said. “We decide what we need in our own community. We don’t need no one else deciding what we need for our own community. We don’t need no one else deciding what we want for our people and our community.”
White also called for residents in his community to “stand up” in support of his proposal. He said several residents had previously gathered thousands of petitions from locals to change the name of Good Hope Road.
“It’s time for us to fight for him,” he said.
Mendelson acknowledged his decision to pull White’s Marion Barry bill during his legislative media briefing Monday.
The council chair said the council does not name streets on an emergency basis unless permanence has already been approved to do so. Mendelson added that a public hearing must be held first to discuss a decision that could potentially change the addresses of 1,000 DC residents.
“There is this false narrative that I am opposed to the legislation,” Mendelson said. “I am not. I want to have a hearing and see what the public comment is. I don’t believe it is appropriate for us to change the name of a street and then have a public hearing to ask people what they think. That’s rather disrespectful of the public or the Democratic process.”
Mendelson said a hearing on the possible renaming of Good Hope Road is scheduled for December 13.
After Mendelson explained his decision to pull the bill, he told the press that his office had been threatened earlier in the morning.
“This morning [White] released a video that actually led to at least one call to my office that was a threat,” he said.
Mendelson said his office alerted the Department of General Services' Protective Services Division about the alleged threat.
He said public officials must be more sensitive to such aggressive actions given what happened House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul, in San Francisco.
California authorities said a man, who believed numerous political conspiracy theories, fractured Pelosi’s skull during a break-in.
Either way, Mendelson said he was confused by White’s stance.
“I don’t know why Councilmember White is on a warpath,” he said. “Last night, he sent me a text saying ‘I’m disappointed in your leadership. I did get calls that you’re pulling the legislation. You’re displaying dictatorship and I’m not going to let it rest’.”
In a statement Tuesday, Councilmember White said he never intended to have anyone feel threatened by his proposal to rename Good Hope.
"The call to action in my Instagram video is straightforward and does not encourage or condone threats or threatening behavior in any manner," White said. "I encouraged residents to participate in the democratic process and to voice their support for an emergency bill to Chairman Mendelson. By no means was my call to action a call to have the Chairman or his staff threatened."
White said he plans to hold a virtual Zoom meeting to discuss his proposal to rename Good Hope Road at 7:30 pm Tuesday.