Feb 2021 Update:

The NYS Assembly's Parks and Tourism committee is voting on this bill finally. 

If you want to continue helping us push this effort across the finish line, you can email the Assembly Members who sit on the Tourism committee and ask them to support the bill (A466). For your convenience, I am listing their names and email addresses below. A sample note could just say "Thank you for voting yes on A466 to rename/re-designate Donald J Trump State Park this Wednesday. I wholeheartedly support this effort." You can address the emails individually or do a simple bcc and let all the committee members know. Thank you again!

Daniel J. O'Donnell, Chair -- OdonnellD@nyassembly.gov
Didi Barrett -- barrettd@nyassembly.gov
Pat Burke -- burkep@nyassembly.gov
Robert C. Carroll -- CarrollR@nyassembly.gov
William Conrad -- conradw@nyassembly.gov
Pat Fahy -- FahyP@nyassembly.gov
Charles D. Fall -- fallc@nyassembly.gov
Nathalia Fernandez -- fernandezn@nyassembly.gov
Mathylde Frontus -- FrontusM@nyassembly.gov
Billy Jones -- jonesb@nyassembly.gov
Dan Quart -- quartd@nyassembly.gov
Jonathan Rivera -- riverajd@nyassembly.gov
Gina Sillitti -- sillittig@nyassembly.gov
Carrie Woerner -- woernerc@nyassembly.gov
Stefani Zinerman -- zinermans@nyassembly.gov

RACISM HAS NO REFUGE IN NEW YORK

In recent months, everyday citizens have united to progress the United States' discourse around racism and oppression. Much progress has already been made toppling longstanding public monuments honoring leaders that have stood for problematic ideals, but we missed a spot. There is a 435-acre public state park in New York State, not far from NYC, that still bears the name Donald J Tr-mp, one of the world's most xenophobic leaders to rise to power in recent history. Several state electeds have proposed bills to redesignate and rename the park (A5320 and S443), but these only gained ground briefly before 2016 and have since gotten buried in the state capital. Now is the time to address this issue.

THE ACTION WE NEED

In order for these proposals to see the light of day, these bills need support from all New Yorkers. Signatures on this petition will translate to co-sponsors in the senate and assembly, or better yet, an executive order from Governor Cuomo. That's where you come in. Since democrats have a supermajority in the NY state legislature, there is likely to be widespread support if we can get this moving. 

SERIOUSLY? THERE IS A STATE PARK NAMED AFTER DONALD J TR-MP? WHY???

Yes, there seriously is. In 2006, before he was president, when Tr-mp was just another shady businessman, he donated a swath of undevelopable land spanning Westchester and Putnam counties to the state after an attempt to build a golf course was derailed by environmental and permitting roadblocks. According to a write-up from the Times in December 2015, "Since then, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has made virtually no investment in the 435-acre park, which has no dedicated maintenance staff and, unlike most Trump properties, exudes a feeling of decay and abandonment." A previous change.org petition calling to rename the park collected almost 3k signatures, resulting in the state legislature taking this issue up at the time, but seems to have stalled out. 

WHERE THIS STANDS

We are in the midst of a massive public health crisis assuaged in part by access to quality and dignified open public space. As of August, 2020, over 30,000 New Yorkers have succumbed to death from Covid, and there is no end in sight. To have almost two-thirds of a square mile of public park land evoking the ideals of our bumbling commander in chief, in part responsible for those deaths flies in the face of our values as New Yorkers. 

Now is the moment, as a multitude of law suits and criminal cases unravel the web of lies and deceit Donald Tr-mp's legacy has been shoddily built upon, to strip this racist man's name from our park land. Following this change, we will encourage our leaders to reinvigorate an effort to provide a world-class state park experience that NY State is capable of delivering. But first, let's take down the sign and rename Donald J. Tr-mp State Park. We are asking our democratic state senate and assembly supermajority to co-sponsor these bills, and get them passed. We could all use this small, but meaningful win at a time when so many are suffering.  Sign this petition so we can pass this bill. Do it now. And as Governor Cuomo famously bid Tr-mp farewell when he relocated to Florida in 2019, we'll soon have another occasion to say "Good riddance."