Montgomery faces lawsuit for dropping Confederate street name for civil rights attorney

The Alabama attorney general's office says Montgomery owes a $25,000 for changing a street name from Jefferson Davis to that of Fred Gray. He was the attorney of Dr. Martin Luther King, junior and civil rights icon Rosa Parks. Striking then name of Confederate President Jefferson Davis prompted AG Steve Marshall’s office to send a letter to Montgomery officials. It said the city must pay $25,000 for violating a 2017 state law protecting Confederate monuments and other longstanding memorials. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said changing the name was the right thing to do. Reed said donors have offered to pay the fine for the city. He said they are also considering taking the matter to court. Gray’s voice leads off Alabama Public Radio’s international award winning documentary “The King of Alabama,” on the fiftieth anniversary of MLK’s assassination. The program includes a segment from APR’s international exchange journalist Ousmane Sagara, on how his home country, the west African nation of Mali, regards King fifty years after his death. Click below to listen.