Mayor Stapleton

As of late there have been police shootings that involved people of color.  I'm not racist and I'm not against people of color, but I do have my opinion in terms of what's been happening around our country during the last couple of weeks.  I'm not here to add fuel to the fire but I'm here to try and help bring the fire down.  

I live in Colorado and lately I've been reading articles on the news about key figures of our state's history either be named different or statues of key figures taken down due to people being offended because of their racial point of views.  Yea, these people were part of groups that were against people of color but that shouldn't mean to take their names off.

One name that I've seen come across was Mayor Stapleton who was part of a group called the KKK.  I feel like the KKK was a horrible group of people but what Stapleton did for the city of Denver at its time was pretty amazing. 

In 1929 he helped bring in an Airport to Denver by funding the construction of Denver Municipal Airport which was later named Stapleton International Airport.  Stapleton International Airport was a hub for Continental Airlines, Frontier Airlines, People Express, United Airlines, and Western Airlines.  Looking back and looking forward I highly doubt that there would be no DIA if it weren't for mayor Stapleton bringing in a major airport into the city of Denver.  Also, the homes that were built after Stapleton's airport was torn down wouldn't be around.

In 1935 Stapleton appointed George Cranmer who had a vision to turn Red Rocks into something similar to a Greek theater.  There had been a large handful of performances that were used in music videos at Red Rocks.  Red Rocks was also seen in movies and TV shows.

Another project that Stapleton brought to Denver was the Denver Waters System.  Stapleton used the Moffat Tunnel to bring water to Denver.  The Moffat Tunnel is still used today to bring water to Denver.

There was also the Valley Highway project which is the reason I-25 runs through Denver.

The Denver Civic Center was another one of Mayor Stapleton's projects.  A notable event that took place at the Denver Civic Center was one of Obama's speeches which saw 100,000 supporters.  No, I'm not a fan of Obama, but, there were many people who viewed him as one of the better presidents of all time.  The Civic Center has the Christmas lights which is displayed until the end of the National Stock Show, the Civic Center is the end point for the ST Patrick's day parade, the Civic Center is the end point for the Columbus Day parade, the Civic Center is the end point for the parade of lights, the Civic Center is home to a large Cinco De Mayo festival, the Civic Center is home to a 4/20 festival, a taste of Colorado is held at the Civic Center, in 2019 a school strike for climate was held at the Civic Center, and in 1990 the Civic Center was home to the Cart Grand Prix of Denver.  During the summer months the Denver Civic Center is home for multiple concerts, movies, and the Denver Cruiser Ride which has a lot of people riding their bicycles.  

Finally, Mayor Stapleton was involved in the expansion of the Denver Mountain Parks System.  A lot of the parks that people visit today were built during Stapleton's time as Mayor of Denver.

Yes, Stapleton was involved with the KKK but look at the good that the former mayor of Denver did to help grow the economy and to turn Denver into one of the better economies in the country.  He brought in a successful airport, his administration helped create a theater that is still very profitable for the city and state, he brought in a system which brought in more water into the Denver area, he helped build the Civic Center, and he was involved in expanding the Denver Mountain Parks System.  Just because someone is involved in a very bad group doesn't mean that their name should be erased from history.  Sometimes you have to look at the good in people and see how they effected their community like Stapleton's help in making Denver a wonderful city to live in.  

I'm proud to live in a country where there are buildings, communities, states, and organizations that are named after people.  It makes me want to do more research on the important people who had an impact on this country.  As far as my opinion on the Stapleton neighborhood I say leave the name on the neighborhood.  We can remember him for the good things that he did for the city of Denver and the state of Colorado.  It's also good to remember him for his involvement in the KKK but what people are quick to forget in today's age is his impact on Denver and Colorado.

How could we remember the important events and monuments that were built in this country if we choose to tear down statues and rename everything because we felt offended on who they associated themselves with or were upset with what they did?  If we choose to tear down statues and rename everything because we didn't like these people then how will we remember the important things that was brought to this wonderful country?  We as a country need to leave the names on everything and the statues up.  Instead of tearing these down or taking their names off everything we need to continue to show the good what these people did but also show the bad what they did.  Let the people who come across these monuments do research on why their name is there but also let them do research on these people as a whole.  

The legacy this man left behind while in office should be remembered for everything that he helped create.  Jesus talks about forgiveness and showing mercy.  Let us come together as one and show these people that they deserve.  Hate is a horrible thing and instead of showing hate by tearing everything down or renaming everything we need to show that we as a country is able to forgive by keeping their statues and names on everything.  Use their legacy to come together as one.  Come together and love each other equally and remember that without these people who have their names planted then our country wouldn't be what it is today.