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Signs of Conflict

Manhattan's penchant for naming streets after people, places and events has given birth to some interesting addresses over the years. A section of 45th Street was once called "Jackie Mason Way" after the legendary comedian.

Manhattan's penchant for naming streets after people, places and events has given birth to some interesting addresses over the years. A section of 45th Street was once called "Jackie Mason Way" after the legendary comedian. Part of 46th Street was temporarily named after the cellist Yo Yo Ma. And last year, to celebrate the 40th birthday of that famous busty doll, Wall Street for a day went by "Barbie Street."

Increasingly, however, the city's street naming policies have been called inconsistent and even discriminatory. For example, after Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated, the city council voted to permanently change the name of a block near the Israeli Consulate to "Yitzhak Rabin Way." Later, an Islamic group petitioned to temporarily name the next block north after Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, but the city's Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over temporary name changes, denied the request. The DOT's reason: Arafat is not yet deceased. Then again, neither is Mason or Yo Yo Ma.

The issue landed DOT in court last year, after it turned down a request to re-name one block of 68th Street in commemoration of the 1991 Santa Cruz massacre in East Timor. Federal district Judge Robert Sweet ruled against DOT, blasting the department for the "arbitrary nature" of its street naming policies. He also took a shot at Barbie: It seems that in the case of the popular blonde, DOT chose to ignore its own rule against naming streets after commercial entities. In January, DOT decided it would appeal the decision.

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