What to Know
- A New York City Council member is reviving legislation that would turn an island where a million people are buried into a park
- Hart Island is off the coast of the Bronx and has served as a burial ground for New York's poor and nameless for more than a century
- Council member Ydanis Rodriguez said he is reviving legislation Wednesday that would put Hart Island under the parks department
A New York City Council member is reviving legislation that would turn an island where a million people are buried into a park.
Hart Island is off the coast of the Bronx and has served as a burial ground for New York's poor and nameless for more than a century. It is maintained by the city's department of correction and prisoners bury the dead. Families could not visit the gravesites of loved ones until a 2015 lawsuit.
Council member Ydanis Rodriguez said he is reviving legislation Wednesday that would put Hart Island under the parks department, which would maintain the island as a public park where people can access the gravesites.
He also wants to establish a regular ferry service to the island.
Copyright AP - Associated Press