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Mayor and Council rename Mansfield Park to honor longtime community leader Doris J. Thompson
Summary
Mayor and Council approved a resolution to rename Mansfield Park as Doris J. Thompson Park after hearing community testimony that Thompson’s decades of neighborhood leadership aided the Sugar Hill area and helped start the Northwest/Donna R. Liggins center.
The Mayor and Council on Jan. 22 approved a consent‑agenda resolution to rename Mansfield Park as Doris J. Thompson Park.
What happened: Council Member Dahl requested the item be removed from the consent agenda for comment. Multiple residents and community leaders testified in favor of the name change at the regular meeting, describing Doris J. Thompson’s long history of neighborhood organizing, mentorship of young people, and work to secure the Northwest community center (now the Donna R. Liggins Center) and other neighborhood improvements.
Council action: After public testimony, Council Member Dahl moved to adopt Resolution 23877 to rename Mansfield Park to Doris J. Thompson Park. The motion was seconded and approved by unanimous vote.
Why it matters: Speakers and neighborhood representatives noted that the park previously bore a name associated with deed restrictions that excluded Black residents in the 1940s; renaming honors a local Black woman who helped organize and support generations of neighborhood youth and residents.
Next steps: Resolution 23877 was adopted and staff will implement the name change in park signage and related materials per standard city procedures.
