Harold Hunter was an influential and beloved skateboarder and actor from New York City. Born and raised in the East Village of Manhattan, Harold rose to prominence in the mid-1990s as one of New York City’s most talented and respected skateboarders. Through the support of sponsors, he traveled the world, spreading his love and talent for skateboarding wherever he went.

Today, Harold’s legacy lives on through the Harold Hunter Foundation (HHF), which empowers NYC youth through skateboarding and mentorship, fostering resilience, growth, and community. HHF and the Harold Hunter Programs offices are located in the East Village, right across the street from the famous Tompkins Square Park. 

Tompkins Square Park was one of Harold’s favorite places in the whole world to skate and connect with his community.

In the 1990s, Harold was instrumental in transforming Tompkins into a cultural hub where skaters would connect, skate, and grow together alongside artists and musicians living and working in the East Village. The skateboarding from that period forever charged the space with creative energy and cultural infusion, inspiring generations of skaters and artists to this day.

Today, Tompkins is a fabled stomping ground that attracts skateboarders, photographers, and filmmakers from all over the world, thanks to Harold and the movement he helped spark. Today, the former basketball courts that Harold skated are a multi-use space sanctioned for a range of activities – skating included.  

This petition calls for the renaming of the multi-use / skateboard section of Tompkins Square Park to “Harold Hunter Park”.

The existing asphalt space at the northwest corner of Tompkins Square Park has long been one of the city’s most iconic skate spots, known especially for its DIY obstacles. Local skaters have maintained and championed the space for years–most recently when the Department of Parks and Recreation decided not to place synthetic turf over the asphalt lot following community outcry.

This would honor Harold’s deep and lasting contributions—not only to the park and the local skate scene—but to New York City’s cultural legacy as a whole.

Are you a resident of Harold’s old stomping grounds? If you live in Greenwich Village/East Village, Alphabet City, or the Lower East Side (zip codes: 10002, 10003, 10009, 10012, 10013), your support is especially meaningful.