A new petition aims to change the name of Minneapolis’ Lake Calhoun.
After the recent shooting in Charleston allegedly perpetrated by a man with white supremacist beliefs, many are ready to rename Lake Calhoun. The petition read, “(John C.) Calhoun went as far as to call slavery ‘a positive good.’ His name and legacy should not be honored anywhere,” reported Star Tribune.
More than 2,500 signatures had accumulated by Tuesday afternoon.
John C. Calhoun, who helped found Fort Snelling, was a South Carolina senator, and advocated for slavery.
“In 2011, Minneapolis resident John Winters also objected to the name, suggesting it should instead honor Hubert H. Humphrey,” reported City Pages.
But, the Minneapolis park board could not legally change the name.
WCCO reports state law would have to be re-written and voted upon. A federal level approval from the U.S. Geographic Board would still be needed as well.
On Monday, a statue of Calhoun was vandalized in Charleston, where the massacre occurred.
“Reports say the vandals spray-painted ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the sculpture,” Star Tribune reports.