DENVER — The votes are in, and the new name for Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood was revealed Saturday.
Stapleton United Neighbors (SUN) announced that Central Park was chosen as the neighborhood’s new name. The name garnered 63% of the final vote.
“The name change was a good thing,” said Shalise Hudley-Harris, a resident of Stapleton. “I think it was something that was really needed.”
The name came from a list of over 300 submitted to SUN over the past two months. The neighborhood organization announced in June that it was taking steps to rename the community, which was named after former Denver Mayor Benjamin Stapleton, who was a member of the KKK back in the 1920s.
“With everything that is going on, I feel like this was our opportunity to make it happen,” said Hudley-Harris. “We are showing them that change can be made through action.”
The name was released in a zoom conference on Saturday with community leaders in attendance. According to organizers, the name Central Park garnered over 60% of the vote in a final round against the other finalist, Skyview.
“We have so many residents that come here. We have children that come to play here. We have so many people who come to ride their bikes,” said Colorado state senator Angela Williams about the Central Park green space in the heart of Stapleton. “We have just so many people who come to enjoy what we have to offer in this park, and it is wonderful to see community come together.”
Central Park is based off of the community’s largest green space. It is also the name of a main street connecting several neighborhoods in north Denver.
The Master Community Association (MCA) will now send a resolution to the city requesting that they replace the name Stapleton with the new community name.
A possible name change has been debated for years. Stapleton residents voted in a 2019 referendum to keep the name, but following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protests and movements calling for equality and the removal of racist imagery, statues, and names have gained steam.
“ The name (Central Park) is reflective of where we are, who we are in our neighborhood, said Williams. “it is just a proud moment.”