Community Association To Take Up Stapleton Name Change This Week

DENVER (CBS4) - The fight over the name of the Stapleton Neighborhood in Denver is renewed. The Master Community Association says they will work to change the name.

Built on the site of Denver's old airport, Stapleton is where the past collides to create the future.

The name has been under scrutiny because of its ties to racism. The neighborhood was named after Mayor Benjamin Stapleton who was associated with the Ku Klux Klan.

Recent protests for racial and social justice sparked a renewed push to get rid of the name. The MCA says delegates will meet on June 17 to start that process.

They will vote to:

• remove the name Stapleton from all branding, marketing and community outreach materials, including signage
• update governing documents to remove the reference to Stapleton as the community name
• support Stapleton United Neighbors (SUN) efforts to identify a new community name as quickly as possible, while permitting engagement with the community
• send a resolution to the City and County of Denver and Brookfield requesting that they replace the name Stapleton with our new community name as the neighborhood identifier

Stapleton United Neighbors President, Amanda Allshouse, says this time feels different.

"It feels like there is widespread community support and that's a different place than we were two years ago," she said.

In August of 2019, Stapleton neighborhood residents voted majorly against renaming the community.

That previous May, Denver School of Science and Technology's original campus changed its name from DSST: Stapleton to DSST: Montview. Hundreds of students wrote essays and debated why the name should change.

Denver City Councilman Christopher Herndon represents District 8: Park Hill, Stapleton and parts of East Colfax and Montbello.

He responded to Sunday's developments.

"This community is demonstrating that it is ready to change its name and we as a city are fully prepared to support that change. I have asked Mayor Hancock's office to remove Stapleton as the neighborhood identifier from City systems moving forward, as the neighborhood works to identify a new name," Herndon stated.

"It is our hope that by changing the name of the community, we will send a strong message that we are an inclusive neighborhood that does not support racism, hatred or bigotry," the MCA stated on Sunday.

On Saturday, Denver School Board member Tay Anderson vowed to march in the neighborhood if the name is not changed. A march was planned for June 20, however it is unclear if those plans are still in place.

"We need to make sure that we are no longer honoring the white supremacist culture and making sure we're not giving those who fought to keep people oppressed the space to have places named after them," Anderson told CBS4.

The MCA hopes by changing the name of the neighborhood, they will send a strong message that it is an inclusive neighborhood and does not support racism, hatred or bigotry.

"If this change can be part of making this a more welcoming environment for everybody then it's important that we do it," said Allshouse.

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