Donor pays Montgomery’s $25K fine for dropping Confederate name from street sign

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - An anonymous donor has agreed to pay a fine on behalf of the City of Montgomery for violating the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act of 2017.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed announced Tuesday during a city council meeting that the unidentified donor agreed to pay the fine in full and “assist the city as necessary” in the future.

In October, the city renamed Jefferson Davis Avenue for famed Civil Rights attorney Fred D. Gray, who represented Rosa Parks and other civil rights figures during his career. Gray grew up on the street, which was previously named for the Confederate president.

Following the renaming, the Alabama attorney general’s office fined the city $25,000 for violating the controversial state law, which protects Confederate monuments and other memorials from being moved or altered.

Reed said Tuesday the city would not only pay the fine, but that it will also pay future fines as it begins the process of potentially renaming other streets, which would run afoul of the law.

Reed previously tasked a committee of historians, professors, and community advocates to consider potential streets, parks and other public venues that merit a name change. The committee has since suggested the following streets be renamed:

Clanton Ave.
Calhoun Street
Cortez Street
Jefferson Street (East and West)
De Soto Street
Early Street
Jackson Street
Lee Street
Wallace Drive (North and South)
Yancey Ave.

According to the committee, the removal of street names is designed to adjust public acknowledgment and recognition of a person’s influence and values. The committee also included a list of 12 individuals who they believe deserve having a street named in their honor: