Clinton Hill Street To Be Co-Named In Honor Of Slain Lawyer Carey Gabay

Soon, we’ll be welcoming Carey Gabay Way to the neighborhood — a reminder that the slain lawyer and former assistant counsel for Governor Andrew Cuomo will always be a part of the Clinton Hill neighborhood that he called home.

The stretch of Clinton Avenue between Willoughby and Myrtle Avenues will be co-named in Gabay’s honor later this year; the co-naming application was among 42 approved by the City Council last Friday, February 5. Two other co-namings approved for nearby neighborhoods are Dr. Derrick E. Griffith Way (Montgomery Street between Bedford and Franklin Avenues) and Rev. Clarence Norman Sr. Way (Rogers Avenue between Eastern Parkway and Union Street in Crown Heights).

Street co-namings are a ceremonial way for the city and communities to recognize the contributions of prominent and influential community members after they have died.

Gabay was an innocent passersby at last September’s West Indian American Day festivities along Eastern Parkway when he was caught in a hail of gunfire.

Gabay grew up in public housing in the Bronx and graduated from Harvard University and Harvard Law School. The Council touted his experience as president of the undergraduate student body as “an early indication of his commitment to public service and the betterment of his community, which he continued as assistant counsel for [Cuomo] New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo and later as first deputy counsel for Empire State Development Corporation.”

Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said that “Carey represented the best that New York City has to offer, and lost his life while working on behalf of the community in Crown Heights. This co-naming will serve as a small, but enduring, tribute to his legacy as a proud son of Brooklyn who spent his life helping others.”