Councilman urges Confederate street name change
In the wake of the Charleston church shooting, the fact that the Confederate flag still flies at the South Carolina state building has sparked fierce debate. The debate has also sparked a similar one
News 12 Staff
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Jun 26, 2015, 1:38 AM
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Updated 3,221 days ago
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In the wake of the Charleston church shooting, the fact that the Confederate flag still flies at the South Carolina state building has sparked fierce debate.
The debate has also sparked a similar one in the Bronx, where one councilman is pushing to change the name of Longstreet Avenue in Throgs Neck.
The road is named after James Longstreet, who was a Confederate general during the Civil War. Longstreet was originally from New Jersey but became a cotton merchant in New Orleans after the war.
Historians say Longstreet was of Dutch descent, as was the man in the 1920s who owned the land now bearing the Confederate general's name.
Councilmember James Vacca says the street should be renamed based on the fact that it symbolizes the Confederacy.
