More than 100,000 people have signed a petition aiming to have the street outside of New York City's Trump Tower renamed President Barack H. Obama Avenue.
What are the details?
The petition is calling for local lawmakers to rename a portion of Fifth Avenue, the street on which Trump Tower sits between 56th and 57th streets — to "President Barack H. Obama Avenue." If approved, Trump Tower's physical address would be 725 President Barack H. Obama Avenue.
The MoveOn.org petition urges Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council to rename the street in honor of the 44th president of the United States. If approved, addresses for the businesses on that particular block would also be "changed accordingly."
A portion of the petition states, "We request the New York City Mayor and City Council ... [rename] a block of Fifth Avenue after the former president whose many accomplishments include: saving our nation from the Great Recession; serving two completely scandal-free terms in office; and taking out Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind September 11th, which killed over 3,000 New Yorkers."
There's a catch, however: A city street can be renamed after a person only if he is deceased.
At the time of this writing, the petition has received more than 111,000 signatures.
What did the woman who started the petition say?
Elizabeth Rowin, the woman who started the petition, told Newsweekthat the petition — which began last October — started off as a joke that ended up gaining major momentum on the internet.
"I am sure the conditions can be changed," Rowin said. "There are two streets in L.A. named after former President Obama. These laws are arbitrary and can be worked around."
She revealed that she was able to speak with several New York City Council members who said they would look at the petition and consider moving forward.
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