Robert E. Lee Park Proceeds in Name Change Process

The Baltimore City Council has introduced legislation to change the name of Robert E. Lee Park on Falls Road.

Baltimore City Council President Bernard C. “Jack” Young said he was proposing an ordinance to rename the park Monday for two reasons, according to City Paper: “County Executive Kamenetz requested that we rename the park,” and ”...I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz officially requested that Robert E. Lee Park be renamed ”Lake Roland” on June 22, but said due to a licensing agreement, such a change required Baltimore City approval.

The Facebook page for the park changed its name to “Lake Roland” in late June.

Related: Baltimore County Seeks to Rename Robert E. Lee Park

Discussions about Confederate markers were sparked after Dylann Roof killed nine African-American churchgoers June 17 during a Bible study at a church in Charleston, S.C. Images widely distributed of Roof show him holding a Confederate flag, and he reportedly told authorities he was attempting to start a race war.

In Long Beach, Calif., where there is a Robert E. Lee Elementary School, a committee is now considering whether to change the school’s name, according to the L.A. Times.

Maryland lawmakers have been pushing for the recall of the Maryland Sons of Confederate Veterans license plate in recent weeks, and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in late June that she was assembling a commission to review the city’s Confederate monuments.

With the renaming ordinance for the park formally introduced at Monday’s council meeting, next in the process is taking the proposal to a committee for discussion, according to WBAL.

Baltimore City’s legal department is considering whether the city or county would pay for changes in signage should a new name be approved, according to City Paper.

The city and county are both involved in the park as part of a licensing agreement they entered into in 2009 in which the city retains the title to the land while the county handles operations.

See Also: Rockville Hosts Community Discussion of Confederate Monument