| Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park | |
|---|---|
  Location in Atlanta  Location in Georgia  Location in the United States | |
| Location | English Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°45′51″N84°24′58″W / 33.76417°N 84.41611°W |
| Opening | November 21, 2019 |
Kathryn Johnston Memorial Park is a park in the English Avenue neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
The park is one in a series of parks to be built in the area to mitigate flooding, with the park capable of managing up to 3.5 million gallons of rainwater per year. [1] The park had its groundbreaking in summer 2018. [2] Located along Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, the park was initially to be called Boone West Park, but shortly before its groundbreaking was renamed to honor Kathryn Johnston, who had lived nearby and was killed in a police shooting in 2006. [3] [4] The park was officially opened on November 21, 2019, on the 13th anniversary of Johnston's death. [2] That same year, Atlanta City Council voted to install a plaque honoring former councilmember Ivory Lee Young in the park. [5]
Kathryn Johnston was an elderly woman from Atlanta, Georgia who was killed by undercover police officers in her home on Neal Street in northwest Atlanta on November 21, 2006, where she had lived for 17 years. Three officers had entered her home in what was later described as a 'botched' drug raid. Officers cut off burglar bars and broke down her door using a no-knock warrant. Police said Johnston fired at them and they fired in response; she fired one shot out the door over the officers' heads and they fired 39 shots, five or six of which hit her. None of the officers were injured by her gunfire, but Johnston was killed by the officers. Police injuries were later attributed to friendly fire from each other's weapons.
English Avenue and Vine City are two adjacent and closely linked neighborhoods of Atlanta, Georgia. Together the neighborhoods make up neighborhood planning unit L. The two neighborhoods are frequently cited together in reference to shared problems and to shared redevelopment schemes and revitalization plans.
Founded in the 1830s as a railroad terminus, Atlanta experienced rapid growth in its early years to become a major economic center of Georgia, with several hotels built to accommodate for this growth. Following its destruction during the Civil War, Atlanta experienced a resurgence and another hotel boom commenced in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. In the later half of the 20th century, hotel skyscrapers began to appear on the skyline, including what was at the time the tallest hotel in the United States. Later, a trend emerged of converting old office buildings into boutique hotels.
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