...because they are named after the Duke of York, notorious slave trader. Razing the city and state to the ground would be inhumane.
"New York, both the city and the state, is named after the house of York and particularly for James Stuart, then Duke of York, one of the most successful slavers in colonial American history."
http://dailycaller.com/2017/08...endous-slave-trader/
Topple this monument to a monstrous man -- the Duke of York.
Perhaps, NYC could revert to New Amsterdam, although, the Dutch were among the first to instigate the African slave trade. Let New York state take the Iroquois name, whatever that is.