Ken Thompson Gets Street Dedication At Brooklyn DA's Office

BROOKLYN, NY — City officials honored former King's County District Attorney Ken Thompson with a dedication on a stretch of the street where his former office was located.

Part of Jay Street, home to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, was co-named "Kenneth P Thompson Way" on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of Thompson's passing from colorectal cancer.

The co-named portion of Jay Street stretches from the Brooklyn DA's Office to the Brooklyn Supreme Court (Willoughby Street to Tech Place), officials said in a news release.

Council members Stephen Levin and Laurie Cumbo co-sponsored the resolution to name the street, officials said.

"There are no words to express how I feel right now. I know Kenny would have been so proud and happy to have seen the street directly in front of his former office named in his honor," Thompson's wife, Lu-Shawn Thompson, said at the ceremony. "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 well-lived life."

Thompson was the first district attorney to stop prosecuting low-level marijuana possession in 2014, and was the first to establish a program to vacate summons warrants for minor infractions, which the city and other DAs later adopted, officials said.

Additionally, the Young Adult Court he created provided interventions rather than convictions for defendants ages 16 to 24.

"The Great Ken Thompson had a bold vision of what Brooklyn could be and I am proud to have known him as a mentor and friend," District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said at the ceremony. "Ken’s commitment to safety, equity and fundamental fairness continue to guide me and our Office, and having this street co-named after him will serve as a daily reminder of these bedrock principles that guided him — and continue to guide us today."