Petition Being Circulated To Rename Lee Circle After Leah Chase

A new petition is circulating in an attempt to gather support for renaming Lee Circle after New Orleans culinary legend Leah Chase.

The petition appeared this week on Change.org and had nearly reached its goal of 10,000 signatures by early Friday morning.

Chase, who passed away at age 96 earlier this month, was famous for her Dooky Chase's restaurant on Orleans Avenue which became known as a landmark in the Civil Rights movement.

Tivoli Circle became known as Lee Circle in 1877 when a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee was erected at the site before its removal in 2017.