BY BEN BRACHFELD
The late Brooklyn District
Attorney Ken Thompson was
immortalized with the conaming
of a Downtown Brooklyn
street on Saturday, which
brought together elected leaders,
including Thompson’s
successor, to pay tribute to the
borough’s former top cop.
The Jay Street roadway between
Willoughby and Johnson
streets, which is home to
the Brooklyn DA’s offi ce, will
now offi cially be known as
“District Attorney Kenneth P.
Thompson Way.”
The borough’s new DA, Eric
Gonzalez, spoke about the late
prosecutor’s impact on Brooklyn,
and his ceaseless quest for
justice.
“Ken’s commitment to
safety, equity and fundamental
fairness continue to guide
me and our offi ce,” said Gonzalez
in a statement following
the ceremony, which coincided
with the 5th anniversary
of his passing. “Having this
street co-named after him will
serve as a daily reminder of
Former DA Ken Thompson in 2015.
Christina Carrega-Woodby District Attorney Eric Gonzalez holds up the new street sign honoring
these bedrock principles that
guided him – and continue to
guide us today.”
Thompson’s widow, Lu-
Shawn, said that her late husband
COURIER L 18 IFE, OCTOBER 15-21, 2021
would have been proud
to see his name adorn the
street in front of his offi ce.
“There are no words to express
how I feel right now,”
she said. “I know Kenny
would have been so proud and
happy to have seen the street
directly in front of his former
offi ce named in his honor. My
children will have yet another
example of the legacy and impact
of their father. Through
their father, they will know
what it means to have a welllived
life.”
Thompson was elected DA
in 2013, ousting longtime incumbent
Charlie Hynes in
a Democratic primary, and
becoming the fi rst African-
American DA in Brooklyn’s
history.
He was elected on a platform
aiming to diminish the
punitiveness and racial biases
endemic in the criminal justice
system in New York, and
enacted several signifi cant
reforms in his brief stint as
DA, which coincided with a
national movement calling
for an overhaul of policing,
prosecution, and the broader
criminal justice system.
He was among the fi rst of
a wave of “progressive prosecutors”
elected in cities
across the country who are
attempting to use their position
former DA Ken Thompson. Photo by Caroline Ourso
to advance criminal justice
reform.
In a sea change, Thompson’s
offi ce declined to prosecute
most low-level marijuana
cases, which Gonzalez
today describes as “the fi rst
step in the march toward legalization,”
which was enacted
in New York State this
year.
Thompson also signifi -
cantly expanded the offi ce’s
Conviction Review Unit to
identify and free those railroaded
by the system with
little due process. During his
tenure, the CRU vacated the
wrongful convictions of 21
people. The unit’s work has
slowed somewhat in the following
years, with nine additional
people being exonerated
since 2016.
The road to justice
DA Ken Thompson honored with BK street co-naming