This sign and another historical marker were removed by the City of Parkville late last week. This marker, which sat in the Hwy. 9 traffic triangle near the post office, was one of those removed. Joe Parente, city administrator at Parkville, said “complaints were received from citizens who felt some references on the markers were offensive.” This particular sign referenced Parkville originally being a location for “slave, tobacco and hemp market.” Wording on the sign included: “Parkville. Founded by George S. Park-1838. First known as English Landing, river port on frontier, steamboat landing: slave, tobacco and hemp market.”
Parente said a similar historical marker at the Spirit Fountain in Parkville was removed last week. “We are sensitive to everything going on in society. There is interest, as part of a broader dialogue within our community during these times, to also have a conversation about the public display of our history. In the interim, I asked city staff to temporarily remove the markers and have them cleaned and stored,” Parente told The Landmark.
The sign in the Hwy. 9 traffic triangle was removed on Friday, which was two days before a “Parkville March for Unity“ was held in the city. A crowd of 500-600 people took part in the rally and march on Sunday, which organizers described as a “peaceful protest in support of human rights, equality and peace in our streets” being held “to show that we are unified in our position that there must be justice for people of color in order for there to be justice at all.”