Lehmanites Question Petition to Troll Trump with Street Name Change
Trump Tower. (Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com)
By Sally Barrilla
A petition to rename the section of 5th Ave. that runs along Trump Tower after former President Barack Obama has gone viral, but Lehman students are divided on its impact.
Created by award-winning director and actor, Elizabeth Rowin via the sociopolitical advocacy platform MoveOn.org, the initiative calls for the stretch of 5th Ave. between 56th and 57th streets to be renamed President Barack Obama Avenue. By the end of September, it racked up 446,539 signatures.
Rowin claims that she was motivated to create the petition after reading an anti-Trump tweet and thought she could use the opportunity to poke fun at him. The British actress told the Washington Post, “Trump uses Twitter so much to tweet and bully people. I thought it would be fun to troll him back.”
Lehman students, however, are ambivalent about the name change protest.
“A name change isn’t going to wake people up to madness that’s happening nor will it urge people to vote or register to vote,” said English senior at Lehman, Davidia Boykins. “I think this will be an insult to Obama. Trump is work- ing his hardest to destroy everything Obama created and awaken more discrimination.”
““I feel like it will have very little to no impact in New York City, but it’s a big slap in Trump’s face, so go for it.” ”
“I can’t speak for all Trump supporters, but from what I’ve seen, Trump supporters can be pretty extreme. I can definitely see a big protest happening soon.”
At least one Lehman faculty member also pushed back on the proposal. “Naming a street after Obama, regard- less of Trump, seems wrong to me. Obama is a war criminal, an enemy of immigrants and the working class in general,” said philosophy professor Russell Dale. “It is part of the way United States’ society functions that a criminal like Obama is perceived and treated somehow gentler than some other criminal like Trump.”
Even if it has popular support, the petition might be challenging to pass in New York’s City Council, since according to USA Today, the honoree must already be deceased in order for a street to be named after them.
Meanwhile, New York City Council Speaker and City Council Member of District 3, Corey Johnson, a well- known fan of Obama, like- wise does not support the petition nor think it’s effective to oppose President Trump.
“I am not positive this is the best way. The Obamas epitomize class, dedication to public service and respect for the Oval Office,” Johnson told ABC News. “I’m pretty confident we can find a better way to honor the greatest president of my lifetime, than by trolling the worst president of my lifetime.”
