New York City’s Department of Transportation (DOT) is facing backlash for installing a road sign meant to honor legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, despite a glaring misspelling of the icon’s name.
The road sign, which was placed in Queens to denote Jackie Robinson Parkway, features a likeness of the former Brooklyn Dodgers player. Aside from the image, the sign is emblazoned with a misspelling of the player’s name, indicating the parkway to be honoring “Jakie Robinson,” the New York Post reported.
Jackie Robinson Parkway sign goes up with spelling mistake https://t.co/UgklGFYZm8 pic.twitter.com/bLUkd3qNfu
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) February 27, 2023
“This spelling mistake is absurd,” City Councilman Robert Holden stated, according to the outlet. “You don’t have a few eyes looking at these signs? DOT is a mess.” Holden later added to those sentiments in a tweet, “Not only can’t the central planners at NYC DOT move traffic smoothly and safely, but they can’t even spell. The DOT needs a major overhaul.” (RELATED: New York City Filled With Road Signs Flashing Climate Warnings, Including ‘Climate Denial Kills’)
Robinson became the first African-American baseball player to break through Major Leagues Baseball’s color barrier when he started for the Brooklyn Dodgers as a first-baseman in 1947. His ten-year career with the Dodgers and his later activism helped set the stage for a wider civil rights movement in the country.
“This is a slap in the face. Jackie Robinson means a lot to me,”Holden continued, according to the New York Post. “I was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan!”
Local residents agreed with Holden’s assessment, calling the gaffe “embarrassing.”
“That shouldn’t have happened. I mean, nobody wants to have that. It’s a memorial for somebody. It should be corrected,” Kira Incantalupo told the outlet.
“I wouldn’t say it’s disrespectful, but it’s definitely stupid,” Queens resident JP Ward told the New York Post.
After being notified of the mistake, New York City’s DOT assured the outlet the sign would be fixed “immediately.”