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State Lawmaker Proposes Renaming Trump Park After Charlottesville Victim

An assemblywoman is pushing to have Donald J. Trump State Park, located in Yorktown and Putnam Valley, named after Heather Heyer, who was killed protesting white supremacists in Charlottesville.

A lawmaker is proposing the state remove Donald Trump's name from Donald J. Trump State Park.

A lawmaker is proposing the state remove Donald Trump's name from Donald J. Trump State Park.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Nily Rozic (D-Queens), said the name of the park, which closed in 2010, does not reflect the goals of uplifting and unifying New Yorkers.

Trump donated the 436 acres in 2006 after he was unable to get town approval to develop a $10 million golf course. The state saved $2,500 a year by closing the park and it was maintained by staff at nearby FDR State Park. Trump, who received a tax deduction for donating the land, did not create an endowment for the park.

Following the protests in Charlottesville, Trump was condemned by many politicians for saying both white supremacists and the people protesting white supremacists were to blame for the violence. Heyer was killed when she was hit by a car. 

A sign for the park is displayed on the Taconic Parkway.

Assemblywoman Sandy Galef (D-Ossining) and a spokesman for Senator Terrence Murphy (R-Yorktown) said it is in the deed that Trump's name cannot be removed. 

Galef has pushed for the sign to be removed from the Taconic since the park is closed.

In April, a man was charged after he vandalized the park, stealing an entryway sign. In Dec. 2015, Senator Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn) sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo asking for the park to be renamed.

Trump, who owns an estate in Bedford, also owns Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley in Stormville and Trump National Westchester in Briarcliff Manor.

The Trump name also adorns Trump Tower At City Center in White Plains, Trump Plaza in New Rochelle and Trump Park Residences in Yorktown.

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