The City Council for New York City cast its final vote in 2021 in favor of renaming and co-naming 199 streets in honor of prominent New Yorkers from the past, including Frances Perkins and Eric Garner. Some groups like Avenues for Justice, which provides services to at-risk youth who may be facing incarceration, were also honored. The block named Avenues for Justice Way on Avenue B includes the organization’s Robert Siegal Community Center. Siegal was a co-founder of Avenues for Justice and opened his home to neighborhood youths while attending NYU. The building was Avenues for Justice’s first community center space and is still in operation. Its Andrew Glover Youth Program located at the community center is named for a police officer who was friends with Siegal and also dedicated his time to helping adolescents in the area.
In choosing the locations of renamed and co-named streets, the legislation ties the person being honored with places that are significant to their lives. In the case of Perkins, who was pivotal in establishing social security, the 40-hour workweek, and other major labor reforms, Frances Perkins Place spans the same block where Perkins once resided—Hartley House, a settlement house that has been in operation for more than 120 years and provides the community with resources for children, adults, and senior citizens. Throughout her life, Perkins fought for better working conditions and was an outspoken advocate for workers’ rights following her witnessing the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911. She ascended from her position with the Committee on Safety of the City of New York, which was established in the wake of the disaster that killed 146 people, to becoming the first female Cabinet member in U.S. history. Perkins was the longest-serving Labor Secretary after being tapped for the role by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933.
Eric Garner Way is located on the corner of Victory Boulevard and Bay Street in Staten Island. It sits along the same block where Bay Beauty Supply is located, which is where Garner died after being illegally choked by Officer Daniel Pantaleo, who has since lost his job with the New York Police Department, though both a grand jury and the Justice Department refused to indict him. Garner, who was considered a “peacemaker,” was harassed by police after breaking up a fight outside the beauty store. The conflict escalated and Pantaleo placed the 43-year-old in a chokehold, which ultimately resulted in Garner’s final words: “I can’t breathe.” Pantaleo’s partner, Justin D’Amico, later admitted to crafting an exaggerated police report and claimed that he believed Garner was “playing possum” and not actually in any danger. Despite witnessing the illegal chokehold used by Pantaleo, D’Amico is somehow still on the police force. Garner was a father and a grandfather; his legacy not only lives on with his family but with the foundation they’ve created in his honor, fittingly named Garner Way, or E.R.I.C. The foundation provides resources on counteracting police brutality and helps families and victims who have been impacted by abuse of power from law enforcement.
Also honored with streets named after them are the many diverse communities that make up New York City. In Queens, the intersection at Homelawn Avenue and Hillside Avenue will now be known as Little Bangladesh Avenue, and is situated in the heart of the Bangladeshi community. The corner of 70th Street and Roosevelt Avenue will now be known as Little Manila Avenue for the Filipino community in the area. Little Manila is surrounded by a bevy of Filipino restaurants and businesses and locals have been lobbying to preserve the area for its importance to the community. Also renamed in honor of its community is Little Liberia Way, located at Sobel Court and Park Hill Avenue on Staten Island. The area boasts the largest concentration of Liberians outside of Liberia and is the home of thousands of Liberians who fled civil war and conflict in hopes of seeking a better life in the U.S.
The renaming of streets aligns with the vision of many New Yorkers, including incoming Mayor Eric Adams, who previously vowed to rename streets and buildings that honor slaveholders. Adams has yet to cite examples or name potential replacements for streets like Houston Street, which is named after slaveholder William Houston, but he likely has support from constituents. A recap of one of the mayoral primary debates with leading Democratic candidates revealed that all five candidates supported renaming locations named for slaveholders.