Online petition to rename Trump Tower street after Barack Obama has more than 100,000 signatures
The proposed street name is 'President Barack H. Obama Avenue.'
More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition proposing to rename the portion of a New York City street that houses Trump Tower in a way that pays tribute to Barack Obama.
The petition, on MoveOn.org, has garnered around 101,700 signatures, more than its goal of 100,000, as of Wednesday afternoon.
“We request the stretch of Fifth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets be renamed ‘President Barack H. Obama Avenue,’” the petition reads. “Any addresses on that stretch of Fifth Avenue should be changed accordingly."
Elizabeth Rowin, the creator of the petition, said she was inspired by a tweet she saw that joked about such a name change.
"And because Trump uses Twitter so much to tweet people, and bully people, I thought it would be fun to troll him back," Rowin told ABC News Wednesday.
Rowin said she knew it was “petty troll maneuvering," but didn't mind.
She added that the petition is more voicing disapproval of Trump, but she specifically chose Obama because of what she described as his many accomplishments during his presidency, including "taking out Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind September 11th."
"Some people have said you should make the petition about Hillary Clinton or John McCain," Rowin said. "However, Obama is the one who [is] responsible for getting Osama killed so, in a way, New Yorkers have a soft spot for Obama."
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Rowin, a resident of Los Angeles, said a similar re-naming was done for a stretch of the 134 Freeway near downtown L.A., which is now called the President Barack H. Obama Freeway.
She said she plans to deliver the petition to the New York City Council, which handles street naming.
Corey Johnson, New York City Council Speaker, said that while he loves the idea of celebrating Obama, "I am not positive this is the best way."
"The Obamas epitomize class, dedication to public service and respect for the Oval Office," Johnson said in a statement. "I’m pretty confident we can find a better way to honor the greatest president of my lifetime than by trolling the worst president of my lifetime."
In general, the council only honors individuals with street re-namings if the person has been dead for at least two years, according to guidelines.
Trump Tower is a Manhattan skyscraper located at 721 Fifth Avenue.
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