Trump State Park Should Be Renamed In Honor Of Heather Heyer, Lawmaker Says

ALBANY, NY — Before Donald Trump was president, or even much of political figure, he tried and failed to develop a patch of more than 400 acres of land straddling the Westchester and Putnam county line into a golf course. His grand plans defeated, he donated the property in 2006 to the state for the small honor of having it named "Donald J. Trump State Park."

Now the most central figure in American politics, Trump is deeply controversial — and many are no longer happy to honor the president by giving his name to undeveloped state-owned parkland. So a New York lawmaker has proposed rechristening the land to memorialize Heather Heyer, a woman killed while protesting white nationalists last month. (For more on this and other local stories, subscribe for free to the Albany Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking new alerts.)

Democratic Queens Assemblywoman Nily Rozic announced legislation Wednesday that would rename Donald J. Trump State Park the Heather D. Heyer State Park.

Watch: Trump State Park Should Be Renamed In Honor Of Heather Heyer

Heyer was killed when a car plowed into counter-protesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump donated the land in 2006 and the park was closed in 2010. It has since remained undeveloped.

Rozic says it would be fitting to rename the park for a woman who died while opposing bigotry.

Efforts to remove Trump's name from the park fell flat last year. Lawmakers will reconvene in January.

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