to an existing one honoring guitarist Eddie Van Halen, while the Central Park plaque will provide more detailed historical context about the group, officials said.

Councilmember Gene Masuda introduced the motion, which was seconded by Councilmember Justin Jones. The idea for the second plaque was suggested by Councilmember Felicia Williams and included as an amendment by Councilmember Tyron Hampton. Jones also suggested that the Pasadena Unified School District honors Troop at Pasadena High School, possibly by adding their names to the wall of notable alumni.

“We’ve heard all the options from before, and I would like to thank the Recreation and Parks Commission for coming down to a solution,” Masuda said. “I think their solution of having a plaque at the Civic Auditorium is a great idea.”

The City Council considered four options to honor Troop on Monday: renaming a portion of Dayton Street, an idea that had faced significant opposition from residents; installing a plaque in Central Park near the intersection of Fair Oaks Avenue and Dayton Street; renaming a room at Robinson Park Recreation Center as Troop Room; and placing a plaque on the exterior wall at the entrance of the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. This plaque would be similar to, and located next to, the one donated by Pasadena 4 Van Halen in 2021 to honor guitarist Eddie Van Halen.

On Oct. 1, the Recreation and Parks Commission considered the four proposed options and unanimously supported the last option.

Hampton, who had been one of the strongest advocates on the panel for renaming a portion of Dayton Street to honor the homegrown music group, expressed support for the plaque option but also voiced frustration with the process leading to the decision.

“I’m supportive of the (plaque at the) auditorium, but originally when this came to us, it was a street name change, and it just seems like the ball was kicked down the road,” he said. “It’s a disturbing trend that I’ve seen, which is not just in the city, but in general as an African American male, that when something is asked for, the goalpost is changed.”

The panel’s Monday decision ended a contentious debate that began last year when Keisha Wilkins, CEO of Visionary Entertainment and a West Covina resident, proposed renaming a local street to honor “the R&B legend Troop that are from Pasadena and have represented Pasadena for over three decades.”

Troop, an acronym for “Total Respect of Other People,” consists of members Rodney Benford, Reggie Warren, John “Jon Jon” Harreld, Steve Russell and Allen McNeil.

Born and raised in Pasadena, the group made their mark locally by participating in talent shows at several Pasadena high schools and honing their skills at Robinson Park for more than 30 years.

They achieved significant success, with three No. 1 singles and 10 top-10 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles chart. Four of the members are still alive, including Harreld and Benford, who continue to live in Pasadena. Warren died in 2020.

However, Wilkins’ proposal has suffered several pushbacks due to opposition from residents, who argued that renaming a historical street is not a suitable way to commemorate a living band. In addition, some council members expressed concern about the lack of clear guidelines or criteria for renaming streets in the city.

During Monday’s meeting, Wilkins said she supports all four options, but renaming the portion of Dayton Street between Fair Oaks and Raymond avenues to Troop Way remained the top preference.

She said group members performed and practiced their dancing at Central Park, which sits on Raymond Avenue, and one of the group members has strong ties to Friendship Church, the first Black church in Pasadena, which is located on Dayton Street.

“That would be our number one, I think that they’re well-deserving of that,” Wilkins said.

Nevertheless, this option faced strong opposition from many residents.

David Woodbury, a resident of the historic Castle Green, which is located on South Raymond Avenue, in between East Green and East Dayton streets, said Dayton Street bears historical significance because it was named after the hometown of Mrs. J.H. Baker and her husband, two of the original founders of Pasadena.

“We do not wish for our historic street name to be changed to Troop way to promote and publicize the 1980s music group Troop, with no historic context or significant association with our street,” he said.

Supporters of the initiative have said that the section of Dayton in question was historically primarily African Americans, before they were displaced.

Wilkins’ second choice was to rename a room at Robinson Park Recreation Center to Troop Room, along with installing a plaque at the Civic Auditorium. She said the group had practiced in the room for more than 35 years. However, this idea also faced pushback from members of the Jackie Robinson family, who attended Monday’s meeting to voice their concerns.

“I just want to support the Robinson Park as it is,” said Rose Robinson, Mack Robinson’s youngest daughter. “There’s a lot of history there so I’m opposing the naming of the Troop at Robinson Park.”