Marsha P Johnson. (Netflix)
The brand new design for the Marsha P Johnson State Park has been unveiled after initial plans were scrapped following complaints from the trans hero’s own family.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced last year that Brooklyn’s East River State Park would be renamed for Johnson, making it “the first state park to honour an LGBT+ person”.
But the tribute was halted in March when Black trans activists raised concerns about the “harsh thermoplastic colours and extended cement slabs”, while Johnson’s family accused the city of “exploiting” her name for publicity.
“I personally feel this was a mass deception campaign and our family was deceived,” Johnson’s cousin James Carey said, as reported by the
HUDSON â Arterial Streets presented its ideas for the Downtown Revitalization Initiative street and sidewalk improvements at the Common Council meeting last Tuesday.
The Downtown Revitalization Initiative is a $10 million grant from the Capital Region Economic Development Council in 2017. It is dedicated to western downtown Hudson, which the initiative calls the BRIDGE District, standing for Build- Renew- Invest- Develop- Grow- Empower.
The district covers Second Street to the waterfront from east to west, and Dock Street to the South Bay wetlands from north to south. There are 1,272 people representing 19% of Hudsonâs population and âall socioeconomic categories, and a multitude of ethnicities,â in the district, according to the state Downtown Revitalization Initiative plan.