Article Reprint
Marcus Garvey Park, like all of Harlem, is contested space. It was named for the Pan-Africanist leader in 1973, but the adjoining landmarked district retains the old name, Mount Morris Park. The park was the site of a quintessential gentrification quarrel in 2008, when residents of a new building on its edge attempted to have the long-running Saturday drum circle shut down. The drummers had to change location; a Parks Department sign indicates their current approved site in the park’s northeast quadrant.