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Supervisors urge Recreation & Parks to remove Justin Herman name from Embarcadero plaza
Summary
The committee adopted a resolution urging Recreation & Parks to remove the Justin Herman name from the Embarcadero plaza, temporarily refer to the site as Embarcadero Plaza, and noted an estimated $5,200 signage cost; the measure moves to the full Board.
The Land Use & Transportation Committee on Sept. 11 approved a resolution urging the Recreation & Parks Commission to remove the name Justin Herman from the plaza at the foot of Market Street and Embarcadero and to refer to the space as Embarcadero Plaza until a replacement honoree is selected.
Sponsor Supervisor Aaron Peskin framed the measure as recognition of a painful period of redevelopment that led to mass displacement. He said the name had ‘‘become synonymous’’ with a period of planning and redevelopment that caused displacement of large numbers of residents and that removing the name was an interim step while a community process identifies an appropriate honoree.
Several community members and historians spoke in support. Barbara Thompson and Art Evans recounted historic displacement and nominated alternatives, including David Johnson; Art Evans, a former acting director within redevelopment, asked for more public input and noted the issue’s complexity. Supervisor London Breed later offered an amendment noting a 2014 estimate from Recreation & Park Department officials that changing the plaza signage would cost about $5,200 and could be paid from departmental materials and supplies.
After rescinding an earlier vote to allow President Breed to offer the amendment, the committee adopted the amendment and forwarded the resolution to the full Board as amended by motion from Supervisor Peskin, taken without objection.
