TEMPE, AZ — Willie Brown lives just around the corner from Redden Park. He tells ABC15 he frequently plays basketball there and had no clue the park's name had ties to the KKK.
“The world we live in today, it’s something no one should ever be used to but they are at this point,” said Brown.
The Tempe City Council originally decided to rename three parks, including Redden Park and three streets back in 2021.
Since then, a special committee was formed and just days ago, naming recommendations were presented.
During that meeting, an additional park was added to the list, currently known as Sixth Street Park.
The committee says they went through over 200 public submissions, ultimately choosing to honor local activists and pioneers.
“The committee decided early on to take a restorative approach to not only rename away from the previous names but also to select people from our history that actually did work to help advance the rights and the voices of underrepresented people over the years,” said City Manager Andrew Ching.
Ching serves as Chair of the committee and knows each person they chose has an important story.
“They are finally getting some of the recognition that they are due for their contributions to our community,” said Ching.
The park Brown visits each week will soon be named after Michelle Brooks-Totress, a Tempe activist. Officials say Brooks-Totress was instrumental in bringing the Juneteenth celebration and the Crown Act to Tempe.
“Me being an African American male, you want to see change,” said Brown. “Typically not a lot of people are willing to offer that type of thing. So, the fact that they are willing to do something and change it to where it's OK for everybody, it really says a lot.”
Ching told ABC15 they are going to present all the proposed names in a final resolution to the city council on March 2nd.
The city also plans to pick up the costs for residents impacted by the street name changes and hold ceremonies as they put up new signage.
“It helps to hopefully heal some of the past, and what’s happened in this community and to really set a good tone for the future,” said Ching.
The city shared a list of the parks and streets that will be renamed:
- Parque de Soza – Replaces Hudson Park. Recognizes the multigenerational pioneer Soza family.
- Rancho de Sotelo – To be a special, marked area east of Rural Road and south of University Drive, designating the 160-acre ranch of the Sotelo family, including Manuela Sotelo, a respected Latina pioneer and landowner.
- Obregon Street – Replaces East Laird Street. Recognizes pioneer farmer Pedro “Pete” Obregon, who was known as “Don Pedro” in the community for his work to take care of others.
- Michelle Brooks-Totress Park – Replaces Redden Park. Recognizes community activist, philanthropist and volunteer Michelle Brooks-Totress.
- Romo-Jones Street – Replaces West Laird Street. Recognizes husband-and-wife pioneers Adolfo Romo and Joaquina Jones, who fought and won in court for their children to be able to attend school with white children.
- Thomas Lane – Replaces Hudson Lane. Recognizes Maggie and Theodore Thomas, who were an African American pioneer family and business owners.
- Mary and Moses Green Park – Replaces Harelson Park. Recognizes Mary and Moses Green, who were the first African American landowners in what is now Tempe.
- Ragsdale-MLK Park – Replaces Sixth Street Park. This was an additional renaming proposed by the City Council on Feb. 9, in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Lincoln Ragsdale, a prominent local Civil Rights activist, businessman, and veteran.
