Here’s an idea that’s never gone horribly wrong before: turn to the public for help choosing a name. Not only do Confederate statues and monuments — and maybe even the statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbus Circle —need to come down; there are plenty of schools, highways, parks, municipal buildings … even entire cities that are going to need new names before long. That’s going to take some thought.

Alexandria City Council decided a while back that the part of Jefferson Davis Highway that runs through Alexandria needed to be renamed, and the city has opened up a survey strictly for brainstorming purposes: it is neither a vote nor a poll, just a means of collecting ideas.

If past results are any indicator of future returns, expect the vast majority suggestions to be, “Jefferson Davis Highway,” although some good alternatives are coming in.

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