BISMARCK 鈥� The Bismarck Park Board has unanimously decided not to change the name of Custer Park and created new procedures for renaming parks.
Custer Park, near downtown Bismarck, is named after George Armstrong Custer, a cavalry commander who fought for the Union in the Civil War and was killed fighting American Indians in 1876 at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as the Battle of the Greasy Grass.
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A group called Rename Custer Park filed a petition to change the park鈥檚 name in November, said organizer M. Angel Moniz, member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. The group's Facebook page urged the community to choose a name that's "more considerate and culturally competent."
the board voted unanimously to keep the more than century-old name. 鈥淲e鈥檝e received public comment. We鈥檝e had the full 90 days to consider this. This has been on the front burner long enough and people expect us to act," board President Brian Beattie said.
Along with retaining the name, the board established new procedures for renaming parks. Petitioners must collect at least 300 signatures from residents age 18 and older. The public will have 45 days to comment on renaming a park. Neighbors will be notified, and the board may hold a public hearing.
"If the board rejects a name change, it will not accept another proposal to change the name for 15 years," the new policy states.
Ali Quarne, another Rename Custer Park organizer, said "their 15-year rule is their attempt at keeping us out of their hair."
Moniz said the park board had the chance to view Custer "through an Indigenous lens and heard firsthand from the people who are affected by the oppressive symbolism in their community."
鈥淚t鈥檚 very disappointing that our elected leaders failed to listen to those voices and instead chose marginalization,鈥� Moniz said.
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The board also decided to work with groups such as the United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck to install a marker at Custer Park to teach visitors about the park's history, its namesake and area tribes, the Bismarck Tribune reported.
