Bed-Stuy Street Re-Named 'Do The Right Thing Way' to Honor Spike Lee Classic

After a year of weed-whacking through red tape, proponents of re-naming a one-block stretch of Stuyvesant Avenue “Do The Right Thing Way” finally emerged victorious on Thursday.

The New York City Council approved the name change as part of a bill that re-names 50 streets throughout NYC in honor of important people in city history.

However, as noted by DNAinfo, “Do The Right Thing Way” is the only one that pays tribute to a piece of art — and, really, a cultural movement.

Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr., who represents Bud-Stuy at City Hall, proposed the name one summer ago. At the time, he told DNAinfo: “It’s a bit complicated, because the City Council’s standards for co-naming focus on people and organizations, not works of art.”

But at last, in July 2015, Cornegy’s dream is municipal reality.

The iconic block of Stuyvesent Avenue where “Do The Right Thing” was filmed, between Lexington Avenue and Quincy Street, is now officially named “Do The Right Thing Way.”

From the city bill:

Do The Right Thing is a film directed by Spike Lee which takes place in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The film was a critical and commercial success and received an Academy Award nomination for Spike Lee for Best Original Screenplay and one for Best Supporting Actor for Danny Aiello’s portrayal of a pizza shop owner. It was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

The following street name, in the Borough of Brooklyn, is hereby designated as hereafter indicated.

Not that Lee needed the city’s go-ahead to celebrate his tribute. The filmmaker held a block party back in July 2014 to announce the street’s new name, and has been selling a set of autographed, limited-edition “Do The Right Thing Way” street signs on his website ever since.