East River State Park

Marsha P. Johnson State Park (formerly and later, in the past as East River State Park) is an 11-acre (4.5 ha) state park located within the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. The park is located along the East River near North 7th, 8th, and 9th Streets and has views from the Williamsburg Bridge and Midtown Manhattan views. East River State Park opened in 2007 on the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal site. Park was named after the honor of LGBT civil rights activist Marsha Johnson. Johnson was killed in 2020, and it became one of the first New York state parks to be named in memory of an LGBTQIA person.

Marsha P. Johnson State Park is located at Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal, the first terminal of railroads not operating within Brooklyn (opened on the 18th of April,1870 and was named Palmer’s Dock). It is located next to the municipally-controlled Bushwick Inlet Park. In 2009, music events at McCarren Park Pool relocated into the East River State Park. An event chose the park that the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA) selected to host this park. East River State Park for future events. The park is known as Williamsburg Waterfront through a public-private partnership; the Open Space Alliance and Ticketmaster Live concerts are scheduled all summer long at the East River State Park.

Who is Marsha P. Johnson?

Johnson was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey; Johnson was moved into Greenwich Village after high school and, for nearly thirty years, was regarded as a drag queen, prostitute, performer, and a close friend in Christopher Park (Stonewall National Monument) and along Christopher Street from Greenwich Avenue to the waterfront. EZ-Pest Exterminating

After the Stonewall protests, Johnson became a crucial participant in the struggle in support of gay rights, particularly seeking visibility and the rights of transgender individuals. The night before the protest, Johnson did not appear in the bar or outside at the time of the first raid but was a well-known street participant shortly after that. Johnson was also a regular participant in gatherings organized by and of the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance. In 1970, Johnson co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) along with the trans-activist Sylvia Rivera. The group was based out of many locations, including its first permanent residence named STAR House, located in an old Tenement (demolished) situated at 2213 East 2nd Street in the East Village. STAR House was a refuge for transgender teenagers who were homeless and operated between November 1970 and July 1971. In December 1970, STAR and the Gay Liberation Front created the Gay Community Center, which was used as an LGBT social center up to 1971.

 

Address: 90 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY

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