Skanky Vamp
Sniffin' the Slayer
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In 1967, The Beatles released a song titled Penny Lane, which is inspired by the actual street name. Though the song was about their childhood memories in the northern English city, the street has been rumored to be tied to slavery in the past. Many have speculated the street is associated with James Penny, who was a notorious slave trader in the past. He had defended the slave trade to the British Parliament, and Liverpool had become Europe’s most used slave port by 1740. BBC noted that several street names are tied to slavery. However, the city’s International Slavery Museum told the BBC that the association with slavery for Penny Lane’s name is “not conclusive.”
The signs of the street have been vandalized in the past week due to the increasing anti-racism protests that have been taking place across the world. The sign was even changed to “racist lane,” highlighting the possible slavery past. “If it is as a direct consequence of that road being called Penny Lane because of James Penny, then that needs to be investigated,” Liverpool’s mayor Steve Rotherham told local news outlet Sky News. “Something needs to happen and I would say that sign and that road may well be in danger of being renamed,” he added.
The signs of the street have been vandalized in the past week due to the increasing anti-racism protests that have been taking place across the world. The sign was even changed to “racist lane,” highlighting the possible slavery past. “If it is as a direct consequence of that road being called Penny Lane because of James Penny, then that needs to be investigated,” Liverpool’s mayor Steve Rotherham told local news outlet Sky News. “Something needs to happen and I would say that sign and that road may well be in danger of being renamed,” he added.