A New York lawmaker has announced she wants to change the name of Donald J. Trump State Park to honor Heather Heyer, the woman killed while protesting white nationalists in Charlottesville, Va., last month.
Democratic Assemblywoman Nily Rozic — who represents New York’s 25th District, which spans the northeast portion of Queens — announced legislation Wednesday that would rename Donald J. Trump State Park as the Heather D. Heyer State Park.
Heyer was killed when a car plowed into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.
“The events that unfolded in Charlottesville are a reminder that the work ahead requires us to stand united in the face of hate. It was for this reason that Heather, who worked as a paralegal, had joined so many others that day to push back against the rise in racist, xenophobic, anti-Semitic rhetoric that has no place in our communities,” Rozic wrote in a petition to rename the park. “As we move forward, it is important to recognize those who embody these values and their contributions. We believe that re-naming Donald J. Trump State Park to Heather D. Heyer State Park would not only honor her name and her activism, but serve as a reminder of how important it is for us to denounce those who seek to divide us.”
Democratic Assemblywoman Nily Rozic wants to rename Donald J. Trump State Park in New York as the Heather D. Heyer State Park, after the woman who was killed when a car plowed into counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.
Rozic said it would be fitting to rename the park for a woman who died while opposing bigotry.
The undeveloped park straddles the Westchester and Putnam county line. Trump donated the land in 2006 after plans for a golf course fell through. The park was closed in 2010.
Efforts to remove Trump’s name from the park fell flat last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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