New York politician campaigns to rename Donald Trump park after Heather Heyer

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A Democratic politician is working to rename New York’s Donald J Trump State Park after the woman killed in the Charlottesville, Virginia white supremacist rally .

Assemblywoman Nily Rozic has started a petition to rename the park, which Mr Trump donated to the state in 2006, to Heather D Heyer State Park. Ms Heyer was killed in August, when she was struck by a car driving through a crowd of counter-protesters at the white supremacist rally. Nineteen other people were injured in the attack.

Ms Heyer has been praised for her activism and strong commitment to social justice. Mr Trump, meanwhile, has been criticised for his response to the rally, which many say emboldened white supremacist groups.

Ms Rozic told The Independent it was a “no brainer” to remove Mr Trump’s name from the land, likening the park to a Confederate monument. Several states have begun removing such monuments, which commemorate those who fought to extend slavery in the US, in the wake of the Charlottesville rally.

“I just wanted to make sure that we stayed focused on removing hateful monuments and testaments,” Ms Rozic said. “It’s a no brainer, when it comes to the state park, that not only should his name be removed but we should also honour Heather Heyer in a very special way.”

Several groups have already tried to remove the President’s name from the park, without success. But Ms Rozic has taken a double-pronged approach by both filing a bill and petitioning the state parks and recreation department. Suggesting a “positive change,” such as naming the park after Ms Heyer, will also help, she explained.

Ms Rozic has not spoken to Ms Heyer’s family about the proposal.

Mr Trump purchased the park – about 430 acres of undeveloped land in Westchester and Putnam counties – in 1998, for $2m. He later donated the park to the state, after failing to secure permits to build a golf course there.

“I hope that these 436 acres of property will turn into one of the most beautiful parks anywhere in the world,” Mr Trump said at the time.

The park was shut down in 2010. The New York Office of Parks and Recreation closed 58 parks and historic sites that year, including Donald J Trump State Park, citing a “historic fiscal crisis of unprecedented magnitude".

Mr Trump threatened to explore legal options at the time, but never followed through.