Minneapolis Park Board looks to rename Sibley Park

Minneapolis' Sibley Park might get a new name.

What's happening: The city's Park & Recreation Board is soliciting public input on renaming the Standish neighborhood park over concerns about the legacy of its namesake, former Gov. Henry Hastings Sibley.

Context: Sibley, a fur trader and Union general, served as the state's first governor and a member of Congress.

• But his role in the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War and the subsequent public hanging of 38 Dakota men prompted at least one metro school to remove his name.

What they're saying: In an email to the public, the park board cited "violence against the Dakota people under his leadership" as a reason for initiating the process for stripping Sibley from the park, which was named in his honor in 1923.

The intrigue: A community survey circulated by the park board last week includes suggestions to name the park after geographic features, such as cherry trees, or prominent local residents.

• The list includes former Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, the first African American and woman to serve in the role, or the late American Indian Movement founder Clyde Bellecourt.

What's next: The park board will consider results of community surveys, hold public hearings and vote on a new name.

• The process could take up to two years, according to a published timeline.