Posted by tbrb (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 11:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Why is it so important to rename Jeff Davis as JL Chestnut? Why isn't there any other streets that could be proposed as the solution to this?

Posted by ChangeSelma (anonymous) on January 3, 2009 at 11:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It's about time . This issue should have been brought up by the council weeks ago .The street should not be named after someone who commited treason against the United States . It's certainly a no- brainer . He also believed black people should be slaves . That's not worthy of any honor .

Posted by SelmaLordSelma (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 7:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Why stop here? Why not rename Broad Street as Perkins Boulevard? And the Edmund Pettus Bridge the Rose Faya Bridge? If you want to rename a street, pick Dallas Avenue. That is generic enough named after the county, and it doesn't take away from an historical figure such as Jefferson Davis. It propbably won't matter anyway. Old habits die hard. I was born and raised in Selma and it will always be Jeff Davis Avenue and Broad Street and the Pettus Bridge. Just as it is still Range Street. People, you need to find something more constructive to do with your time. Selma has many more issues than a street needing a new name.

Posted by popdukes12 (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 8:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe Jeff Davis Ave should just revert back to it's original name of North Ave. popdukes12

Posted by loveselma2 (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Time moves on.....in the next ten, twenty or thirty years (or less) someone will come along and rename streets again. The importance issue should be more jobs, more businesses

Posted by ChangeSelma (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 11:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I doubt the name would be changed if people in city government know and respect the significance of what J.L Chestnut did for the betterment of our society .

Posted by Sensible (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 11:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)

People, can we please get over this already. There are alot more important issues facing this city than wasting time discussing re-naming a street. Leave the steet names and courthouse names alone. If something needs to be named after Chestnut, The appropriate place would be his law office building.

Posted by noneofurbus (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 12:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

What did J.L Chestnut do that makes him so much better than Jefferson Davis?

Posted by tbrb (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 6:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I am sorry but, whites were slaves also. So, you can't throw that up. The KKK also targeted whites as well. Did you ever see any Black Panthers target any blacks? I didn't. I do know two cases of the KKK however. It is a shame that race is always a issue here in Selma. To me, my opinion is that is stead of whites being racist now it is blacks. Blacks are racist towards a lot of blacks here and I have experienced it first hand. I am so tired of people saying whites have it easier or when someone has to pay a fine or whatever the case may be "got to go pay the white folks". If you haven't noticed in the court house a lot of the workers are black not white so next time for all those that do say "got to go pay the white folks" turn it around. It is a shame that we still let barriers between us.

Posted by HuntsvilleGamer (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 8:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Leave it up the people to make a race issue out of every article the Selma Times releases. I read an article about healthy living, someone bought up race. I read an article about retail expenditures, someone bought up race. I read an article about pollution, someone bought up race. You all are so busy worried about race that you can't even see that everyone in Selma is taking a loss. Selma will continue to suffer. You can be red, yellow, white, black, or blue and still be an idiot. The cities near Selma that are developing and making progress are saying to themselves, "As long as they are bickering and fighting each other and not working together to make their city better we will continue to receive their money when everything closes down!"

Posted by acourtland (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 8:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Huntsville..., you hit the nail right on the head. Selma has soooo much potential, but what I saw when I was there last were crumbling buildings downtown, a riverfront that looks like it did during the Great Depression, torn down houses and buildings in the neighborhoods, etc... Wake up, Selmians!

Posted by saveselma (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 8:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

huntsvillegamer, you are so right! The race issue is the reason Selma has not prospered. I can go about 50 miles north, east, south or west and people have MOVED ON! The only thing we do by keeping the focus on the races is hurt ourselves. Industry will not come where there is bickering. Public education will continue to flounder when there is bickering. Violence will breed when there is bickering. That is why lots of folks have packed it up and moved out of Selma. I have raised my kids with the idea that they will grow up and leave Selma. No, I am not the problem. My kids go to Public Schools, I worked (as long as it was safe) in the community. I pay my taxes and am a law abiding citizen. But at some point you have to ask yourself "If the hole keeps getting bigger, is my little patch really going to help?" I don't think so. I want to live some place where I can go out at night and not be afraid. Don't tell me that there is NO PLACE where I can do that. Statistics tell me otherwise. I want to live in a town that has industry. The only buisness that isn't hurting in Selma right now is the payday loan, pawn shops and pawn your title businesses.

Posted by Sensible (anonymous) on January 4, 2009 at 9:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Amen Huntsville. Look at Prattville, Greenville, Demopolis, Clanton. All are doing great. Selma continues to sink thanks to the idiots that think that race is the one and only issue there is. Until Selma can get past this, we will never move forward.

Posted by tiredofthistown (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 7:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I do not believe Chestnut would have wanted Jeff Davis named after him. That is one of the dirtiest streets in Selma. It is a real eyesore. Nobody would want that street named after them.

Posted by One_Voice (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 8:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Hmmmmm I see you people can't get past the chesnut thing. Look the only reason they want to name the street is because he is afro american what ever that means he was still American. I feel that the people he served should put up something to honor him if it's that important to the black population. To find out let the paper just go ask the students in public schools to see if they even know who he is or the role he played with Selma as a whole instead of just the black population. Get pass the racial issues that seems to be so previlant in Selma and let this man rest in peace. Like I said put up somthing in the city park if you have to do somthing. Best of luck just get past it if they can.
It's over why do they have to try to cram something down the throats of the people in Selma. Better yet just let the people vote on it instead of the city electe's trying to pull a fast one over on the people.

Posted by eyeonyou (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 9:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'll be curious to see what happens positive or the drastic change in Selma when the street name is finally changed to J.L. Chestnut. Nothing will change other than the name of the street. It's just another race base move by the powers that be to try to right a so called "wrong". Of all the millions of dollars that J.L made over his career, where is any of that money coming back to help Selma's black community? I guess naming the street will stop the crime, violence, murder, thieving, thugging, poverty and poor education in Selma?? It's a disgrace that certain people will get 100% behind something like this, but won't lift a finger or voice to "actually" do something in the community about the senseless crime and violence. Groups such as the Freedom FOundation, SPLC, SCLC, ACLU, NAACP or any other should be ashamed of themselves for sitting back. They're good for lip service and that's about it.

Posted by eyeonyou (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 10:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Anything that has Johnny Leashore behind it must be sticky. Watch out Selma!! He must have a kick back to the street name so how. Leashore is a race bating, country thug working at DHR. Wonder if the "State Level" of DHR knows that he's out on the radio promoting race bating politics? STATE WORKERS ARE PAID BY TAX DOLLARS TOO. YOU AREN'T ON THE COUNCIL ANYMORE LEASHORE!! Why do you think he stole that governement cheese? Because he's a thug. He was stealing Water Board money too from the taxpayers. Hey Johnny, YOU LOST. You keep saying you lost by 8 votes. Yep, you sure did. If you had 1000 people that voted for you....YOU STILL HAD 1008 THAT VOTED AGAINST YOU. THEY WERE "ALL" BLACK!!!!!!!!! No white person had anything to do with you losing. "YO FOLK" VOTED YOU OUT. They were tired of having a crooked country thug representing their interest.

Posted by SelmaSmartBoy (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 10:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

eyeoneyou....Why are you always being so negative about people. What's wrong with being involved and not being a political figure, isn't that what Freedom of Speech allows you do to??

Posted by mccrary36703 (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Oh MY God, I can't believe that "eyeonyou" may have a point somewhere. Just a portion. Ok will naming the street change the crime and other problems in Selma? Ok Jeff Davis is a ugly street. There is poverty over across the street from Calhoun grocery store. However the question is will our young people on that street and that community represent something positive in his honor? This is what this is all about a change for the good. If changing the name is not going to make a difference for the people and citizens of Selma why change the name. Right or Wrong? Or could we hope that having a name change could make a difference for a young black or white person to strive in a positive way.

Posted by eyeonyou (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 11:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Telling the truth is what I'm doing. Leashore is a negative, back biting, bitter boil on Selma's back. He has nothing positive to say. Personally, I'm sick of hearing his race bating politics based on the Perkins agenda that he continues to prop up every breath out of his mouth. Sorry, I guess FREEDOM OF SPEECH doesn't pertain to me huh? If you have followed any of the city's goings on over the last 4 years, you would know he's a total hypocrite and money hungry fool. I guess him stealing your tax money doesn't count?

And for changing the name...I don't care whether they change it or not. It's not going to change the dynamics of crime, theiving, thugging or the mentality. The people that continue to plague this city don't care what name is on the street. Look at all the crime on Martin Luther King Street. WHY? What did putting his name on that street do for that community other than giving him a momento of remembrance to honor his name? They sure aren't honoring his WORDS!!!!! Your point isn't well justified.

Posted by sparkl88 (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 12:10 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Here we go again with the race thing. God doesn't see the color of our skin, he sees the color of our heart. According to medical science all hearts are the same color and they all bleed the same red blood. About the street name. Now this is just my opinion and we all have one but I know someone that has done more for all of us than Mr Chestnut, even though I have heard some good things about him. What if we named that street "SPIRIT ROAD" after the Holy Spirit that God sent to dwell inside of us and help us get through all these conflicts. And then we could name Broad Street Hallelujah Square, Highland Ave could be named Gloryland Way. Then maybe everyone would think we stand for Jesus and the "Only True Way" and maybe people will strive to have positive attitudes about Selma instead of all the negative ones. Hey what have we got to lose? Much of Selma is already headed towards eternity in Hell, maybe this will be the beginning of Hope for our town and our people, and maybe this new attitude will make us all color blind and we can see hearts instead of the color of peoples skin. Let's claim "The Way, The Truth and The Life" for 2009, that's JESUS.

Posted by sharon (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 12:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

It is highly doubtful that the true legacy of J.L. Chestnut will ever be fully recognized or appreciated by the people of Selma, white or black. Does he deserve to be recognized? My answer to that is yes but my reason is not because he was black or a lawyer, it is because he fought for the little man. His clients were black and white, probably more of them were black simply because he was black. But he always fought for the people who could not have afforded help anywhere else or the people who would have otherwise not had a voice. He was loud and opinionated but with the exception of Mother Theresa, people who are nice and quiet rarely change the world.

He has always reminded me of that quote from Tom Joad in the grapes of wrath"I'll be ever'where—wherever you look. Wherever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there... I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an'—I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry and they know supper's ready. An' when our folk eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build—why, I'll be there. "

I know most of you just want to fight about any issue but sometimes we should pick our battles better. I am not saying that he didn't make money because he would have been crazy not to have tried to make a living and he seemed to love him family and wanted the best for them. I am saying that the man did a lot of good in Selma and we need to respect that.

Posted by noneofurbus (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 1:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Maybe you are right, he did do a lot of good for Selma, but I believe right now, we have a lot more problems than street names. They can call a meeting about renaming the street, but if we keep heading down the same road, there will not be anyone to live on the street.

Posted by Eyespy (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 1:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)

what does Chris Roc say? go to any town and if you want to find out where most crime is ask anyone where martin Luther King street is. Go there. Thats where the crime is.

Posted by sharon (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 1:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't care if they change the street name or not. In a small town people hardly ever use the new names anyway. I still call that street that intersects with Jeff Davis by the church, Sylvan Street and it has been something else for years. Selma's problems are not unique, it just seems like they are because we always know either the participants or one of their relatives. The thing is, life goes on and the city still has to do what it does.

Posted by eyeonyou (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

No one said J.L. didn't do positive things for the black community. I feel like having some sort of memento for his civil services is needed too. The pressing issue is we have a city full of black on black crime and murders RIGHT NOW. The so called leaders are more worried about street names RIGHT NOW than they are about the citizens protection, cops and the funding of the Police Department in the future. We have a prayer vigil tonight. How many people from Selma that live in these areas that are plagued by crime and murders will be there? I bet hardly none. Name something after him....but that is not going to change anything in this town.

Posted by catchem (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)

As stated before, he didn't care enough to live here but only to make money here, so why is this an issue. God be with his family for their loss.

Posted by miss27 (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 2:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with HuntsvilleGamer... It is RIDICULIOUS that race has to be implied in EVERY ( no i'm not exaggerating) post!!! The city of Selma will NEVER grow if the citizens can't get past race. Mr. Chestnut may have done some great things, but does that warrant a street named after him? Well I have a list of the teachers that have been an asset to my life and contributed to my success. The City of Selma has larger issues than " street naming". Take a look at news over the past weeks.. Saddening. You may say they cause these incidents to happen to themselves, but what encouragement do the young people have? They can't even read the newspaper's blog without seeing something negative. Their own neighbors downing them. I also fault the newspaper(online). There are many great things that students in the community do, but you never see them online... Teens as well as I, an adul, rely on STJ.com for news of the city. Please wake up Selma.

Posted by sharon (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 2:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

What can any of us do, right now, to make a change? If there are more policemen, will it stop crime? Not really, because if the people committing crimes were afraid of or even respected the police they would not be out committing crimes. On another blog someone mentioned cameras, would cameras stop anything? I remember that guy upstate, he threw acid on his ex-girlfriend and a camera filmed all of it. I was at the Flea market this weekend and I kept looking at those younger guys wondering which one had a gun but I have wondered the same thing in the mall in Montgomery. All we can do is pray, try to live right and be careful. Can anyone tell me one thing any of us can do, right now? What can the city council do right now that will make anyone feel safer? The city of Selma is not poorly ran, the officials seem to do the best that they can. This crime problem is bigger than any of us, because there are people out there who simply don't respect human life.

Posted by eyeonyou (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 5:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The new administration is doing the best they can right now due to the circumstances. What they can do is trim this budget, get an AUDIT done to see what we are dealing with for the near future.....and find a way to bust down on these thugs running this city into the ground. MORE COPS WOULD HELP. MORE DETECTIVES WOULD HELP. People are still going to shoot each other, robb and thieve...but having more cops on the sreets can sure help get these criminals off our streets and into jail. There is no way more police presents can't help this city. When people in these crime ridden wards start standing up and taking back their streets at all cost, then they will not be confined in their homes. These children that live there deserve this!!!

Posted by sharon (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"When people in these crime ridden wards start standing up and taking back their streets at all cost, then they will not be confined in their homes" That's it right there, nothing will improve until that happens. Parents have to take their homes back, search their kids and their rooms. I wish my son would try to bring a weapon into my home!!! I even look under his mattresses. I look in his wallet, check his phone, look at the pictures in his phone and I even wait until he logs onto facebook, then I will call him to take out the trash and sit and read until he comes back in. I do all of that and he has never given me any trouble, imagine how I would be if he'd ever been arrested or pulled over. I see your point about more police but they are not deterring, they are arrestng after the fact. You want this nonsense to stop, not merely be abated.

Posted by popdukes12 (anonymous) on January 5, 2009 at 8:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

O.M.G.... My ex-wife just called and said she is packing up (in Selma) to move to down here (Panama City) because there is no place to shop in Selma. Please open some stores before next weekend so she will stay up there. popdukes12

Posted by Eyespy (anonymous) on January 6, 2009 at 2:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Uh-Oh, popdukes! you may blow your cover!!!

Posted by mccrary36703 (anonymous) on January 6, 2009 at 11:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)

popdukes12:

Tell your wife there are still stores in selma to shop at. There is selma mall, superwal-mart, and stores in the downtown area. There are stores on Dallas ave. Tell her to park her car at the post office and walk down the street heading towards broad street and she will see a wedding boutique store, a beauty supply store, where she can get all her cosmetics. There is a Johnnie's fast food place where she can grab a quick bite to eat. From there tell her to continue down the street and there is a mens store with great suits. Buy one suit and get one free or a great discount. There is a grocery store called washington market right in the area if she need to grab food for her refrigerator. So see there are plenty of stores here in selma for her to shop at, she just need to utilize her resources. Tell her to stay in selma.

Posted by mccrary36703 (anonymous) on January 6, 2009 at 11:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry I mean your ex-wife. I was so excited to remind her of the stores in selma that I forgot she is your ex-wife.

Posted by catchem (anonymous) on January 6, 2009 at 2:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

popdukes 12: see you at the reunion.

Posted by disgruntled (anonymous) on January 6, 2009 at 3:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Okay so how will naming a street after him preserve his memory? After his generation passes all we will have is a street that has changed names over and over again. In 10 years no one will remember, just being honest. Would it not be better to have a statue dedicated in his honor in front of the courthouse? I, personally, think that would do way more to preserve his memory. For crying out loud, Jeff Davis isn't even near the courthouse. The ONLY reson they want Jeff Davis in particular to be named after him is so it will no longer be named after Jefferson Davis. No one can deny that. His family and advocates could have just as easily asked for Church Street or Alabama Avenue to be named after him, but they chose Jeff Davis because of the history behind that name. Whoever it was that mentioned how racism has switched in Selma I give a loud and proud AMEN to you! If Martin Luther King ever came back from his grave and saw this place and the daily turmoil the citizens of Selma feel, he would regret the efforts he made for his people and even more so that his death was near in vain. Just to see what the residents of Selma have done with what he gave them so graciously is a shame. Has anyone noticed that his childhood home is a dilapidated mess and the street named in his honor is a drug den? If a white person and black person walked down that street today as he had so desperately hoped for the white person( and most likely the other guy to) would be in danger of getting shot or robbed or he would be looking for drugs. Is that not ridiculous? Every where in this town there is segregation, but the messed up thing about it is that now it is voluntarily taken on. It is not that race matters anymore. It is that the black members of our Selma community have taken the idea that they still have dues coming somehow, someway to a completely different level. If it was not for the members of that community pulling the race card constantly, then it would never be an issue. I, personally, do not care what color your skin is in any way, shape, or form. I do care, however, if I am treated with resentment for something that no one in my family even participated in. As a matter of fact, my grandfather was a police officer during the fifties and sixties and quit on Bloody Sunday standing in front of the Edmund Pettus bridge because what he was being asked to do was wrong. I guess everyone forgets about the people that chose not to be involved, huh?