ST. LOUIS (KFTK) - A petition has been made with hopes of changing the city's name in St. Louis and taking down a statue of Saint Louis IX in Forest Park. The creators say it's "outright disrespect" to Jewish and Muslim residents and they're asking for support.
The petition on Change.org was started this week, after the statue of Christopher Columbus in Tower Grove Park was taken away. Local writer Umar Lee is a co-signer of the petition.
Louis IX is the only King of France to be canonized in the Catholic Church. He became king when he was 12-years-old and is credited with changing the judicial process in France, with trials no longer being settled by combat, but instead by evidence and Roman law.
He was also known as a devote Catholic, who ordered the burning of some 12,000 manuscript copies of the Talmud and other Jewish books.
"I ask all people of good faith committed to the modern values of equity and coexistence to sign this petition to rename the City of St. Louis to something more suitable and indicative of our values," the petition states.
The petition has 133 signatures as of Friday morning, with a goal of 200.