Petition to rename street in front of Trump Tower after Barack Obama receives nearly 100,000 signatures

Petitioners undeterred by ordinance prohibiting renaming street after individual until after death

(Getty Images)

Nearly 100,000 people have signed an online petition urging New York City to rename a portion of the Manhattan avenue that runs in front of Trump Tower after Barack Obama.

The petition is on MoveOn.org, and states that the renaming of the street after Mr Obama would mean that any building addresses on the block “should be changed accordingly”.

And, if the name does get changed alongside all of those addresses, that would mean Donald Trump’s tower in the heart of the city would bear the name of his predecessor – a man he has openly disdained, began a racist conspiracy about while he was still president, and one who has spoken up in key moments to push back against the bigotry often associated with the Trump presidency.

That address, should the petition succeed? 725 President Barack H Obama Ave.

As of Wednesday morning, the petition had received over 97,000 digital signatures, urging mayor Bill de Blasio to take action on the issue.

Elizabeth Rowin, who started the petition, told Newsweek that the whole thing started as a joke after she heard that two streets in Los Angeles have been renamed after the former president, but the idea has only gained steam since it was posted online.

Illustrating the popularity of the idea, Ms Rowin said that she has heard from “several” city council members in the city supporting the idea.

But, there is one problem: city ordinance prohibits renaming a street in New York after a person until they are dead.

“I am sure the conditions can be changed,” she told the news magazine. “There are two streets in LA named after former president Obama. These laws are arbitrary and can be worked around.”