Dewy Circle: Open and Obvious

As of February 11, 2024, the location in Manhattan, New York formerly known as "Columbus Circle" has been renamed to "Dewy Circle." Been doing a lot of legwork for a bit, but now that it is officially in Phase 2, I can start talking about it more openly!

First and foremost, this is a personal exercise of daring and will. But the idea for this project began with a simple idea: If there is anyone who stands for the proposition that someone might just show up and take something, it's Columbus. And so the story begins...

Pictured: Dewy Circle, which happens to have a large statue of Columbus in it.

Honestly, the renaming is a bit overdue, so, one day in February, I decided to do it. I performed a renaming ritual and set off on getting an official foothold. Once that was accomplished, I moved into phase 2, which consists of providing official notice to the local businesses in the area. I'll keep editing this post as the new phases roll out, but I'm not telling you the next phases until then because spoilers!

I also won't dig too deep into how I am accomplishing this, partially because it's quite boring but also to encourage anyone who wishes to try to rename something else to seek out their own path. Plus, so much is handled on a case-by-case basis that much cannot be applied outside of this context. For example, one of the factors that has helped me is the fact that I've lived in the area for a few years and am somewhat known in the area.

But rest assured that this is official (enough) and happening, albiet slowly (heck, there are soooooo many governmental agencies to get up to speed, it's its own phase/headache).

We (should) all know why Columbus stands for the idea that something can just be taken from you. It should be equally obvious how terrible a person Columbus was and how overdue this name change is. (If you don't, I like the passion of this article). But the other cool landmark of Dewy Circle is a monument to the USS Maine.

Pictured: The USS Maine Monument, which is located within Dewy Circle.

The USS Maine is its own odd event in history (and the story also makes the monument a little uncomfortable). On February 15, 1898, the US navy battleship was sunk in Havana Harbor, Cuba. The sinking was an accident; a large amount of gunpowder charges for the gunnery aboard the ship was ignited, which destroyed a third of the ship instantly. Due to the lack of a complete hull, the ship quickly sunk in the harbor, killing 261 of the 355 people aboard.

Despite the accidental nature of the sinking (which truly was a tragedy; people did die), the incident was quickly hijacked for political agendas. At the time, the US was enacting the Monroe Doctrine, which was basically telling Europe to GTFO of the Western Hemisphere. The Maine was stationed in Cuba as part of protecting the US's interests during the Cuban War of Independence. But the US had not yet declared war on Spain, much to the chagrin of some powerful people.

Despite official channels noting that the sinking was an accident, it did not stop journalists from sensationalizing the Maine to sway public opinion in favor of war. Two of the worst offenders were the New York Journal and New York World: owned respectively by William Randolph Hearst (the same company that is still a huge player in the media space) and Joseph Pulitzer (yes, that Pulitzer; makes the prize seem a bit weird now, huh?). Their tactics would be become known as "yellow journalism", exaggerating and distorting facts to fit the pro-war message.

Pictured: One day after the tragedy, already spinning a false narrative.

It worked. Though war was not immediately declared, it quickly followed that April. Through it all, the rallying cry was to "Remember the Maine!" The Spanish-American War would lead to the deaths of over 18,000 people (most via malaria, heat exhaustion and the like, but still. People died).

Together, the two memorials (plus the Trump International Hotel & Tower; this initial article was posted on the day of 34 guilty verdicts for him) stand to the absurdity, lies and tragedies that have nevertheless shaped American history. I think that fits my style.

Pictured: One of the plaques that will be installed (others with more/other details will also be added).

You can tell this has been in the works for a bit since it uses the old/incomplete version of my magical name!

Phase 2 Completed: On June 12, 2024, I provided official physical notice of the name change to the businesses (large and small) that border Dewy Circle. For the large mall and other buildings that hold multiple businesses, I provided official notice to the building manager/steward to be passed along to their tenants. Next up is Phase 3!

Pictured: The notices that were given.

Phase 3 and 4 Completed:

After completing Phase 2, I immediately moved on to a different kind of notice: notice to the public. Whenever I was in the area and the moment struck, I would ask people what they thought about the renaming. At first, people had no idea what I was talking about. And that's understandable. I got some very interesting opinions I may write about, but I kept asking people what they thought until I started to get some people who seemed like they had heard about the news and it wasn't directly from me (seems the seeds that have been planted are sprouting).

After that, I moved to Phase 4, which was providing physical notice to the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which, among other things, oversees the subway system in NYC). I created signs that were sure to get their attention and posted a few within the Dewy Circle stop. I won't elaborate on more details, but I have reason to believe they were noticed. Mission accomplished.

Pictured: Yes, I'm having fun with this. Isn't that part of it?

Also, I'm updating this on Dewy Day! Happy one year of Dewy Circle!