Title
Recommendation to Rename Former Jackson Park to Chochenyo Park. (Recreation 280)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The recommendation to the City Council to rename the former Jackson Park to Chochenyo Park is based on the work of a diverse, community-led committee and the unanimous vote of the Recreation and Parks Commission (Commission). This renaming is the result of City Council's previous direction to rename the park because it was named after President Andrew Jackson who was a slave holder and was responsible for the forced relocation and death of thousands of Native Americans. Parks are important public spaces, their names have impacts, and should represent the values of the community. The City of Alameda's (City) Naming Policy requires City Council approval to change the name of a City facility, including City parks.
BACKGROUND
Alameda's first park was named after President Andrew Jackson in 1909. President Jackson personally enslaved hundreds of Africans and was the architect of the Indian Removal Act. Under the Act and under Jackson's "Removal Policy" (now known as the Trail of Tears), Federal troops evicted indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands in the southeast U.S. and marched them to new reservations in Oklahoma, resulting in thousands of deaths from starvation and exposure.
At the May 10 and June 14, 2018 meetings, in response to a written request from a community member to rename Jackson Park, the Commission discussed the legacy of President Andrew Jackson and the policy and process to rename a City park. The Commission did not take action on the renaming request and instead requested the item return for further discussion at a later date.
Community members organized an online, local petition to rename Jackson Park and in 2020 received over 1,253 signatures in support of renaming the Park. Of the total signatures, 1,070 (84.5%) identified as Alameda residents. The complete peti...
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