TITLE
REQUEST TO OFFICIALLY NAME THE UNNAMED PLAYGROUND AT 53RD STREET AND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DRIVE WITHIN WASHINGTON (GEORGE) PARK TO RONALD “RONNIEMAN” JOHNSON PLAYGROUND
BODY
To the Honorable Board of Commissioners of the Chicago Park District
I. Recommendation
Pursuant to Chapter VII, Section E of the Code of the Chicago Park District (the “Code), the General Superintendent recommends that the Board of Commissioners (the “Board”) approve the request to officially name the playground at 53rd Street and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive (“King Drive”) within Washington (George) Park to Ronald “RonnieMan” Johnson Playground.
Proposed Park or Park Feature: Playground within Washington (George) Park
Location: 53rd St. and King Drive
Community Area: Washington Park
Ward: 20
Proposed Name: Ronald “RonnieMan” Johnson Playground
II. Authorization
The Board hereby authorizes and directs the General Superintendent or their designee to perform, or cause to be performed, all such acts, including, without limitation the placement of signs with the official name, and to execute and deliver any and all agreements, documents, instruments or certificates as the General Superintendent deems necessary, advisable or appropriate, to effectuate this official naming.
III. Explanation
Playground at 53rd St. and King Dr., Washington Park
Located in the Washington Park neighborhood, Washington Park totals 345.67 acres and contains numerous park features, including a lagoon, three playgrounds, basketball and tennis courts, and baseball, football, soccer, cricket, and softball fields. The playground at 53rd Street and King Drive is located in the northwest side of the park.
Washington Park is one of Chicago’s most significant historic landscapes. Originally considered the “western division”-a 345-acre portion of the enormous 1,055-acre South Park-it was connected to the park’s “eastern division” via a grand boulevard called the Midway Plaisance. The South Park District acquired land for South Park from 1868-1885. In 1881, the South Park Commissioners named the western division in honor of George Washington (1732-1799), the first president of the United States.
Proposed Name: Ronald “RonnieMan” Johnson Playground
The proposed name of Ronald “RonnieMan” Johnson Playground recognizes the extraordinary contribution Ronald Johnson made to civic betterment locally, including posthumous contributions made in his name through advocacy and charitable efforts.
Ronald "RonnieMan" Johnson was a beloved son, father, and community member whose life was tragically cut short on October 12, 2014 after he was shot in the back by police while running towards Washington Park. The naming of this playground, which was near where Mr. Johnson was shot, highlights his contributions to his community and serves as a broader acknowledgment of lives lost to police and state violence.
The requestors of this playground naming, Mr. Johnson’s mother - Dorothy Holmes - and the Executive Director of the Chicago Torture Justice Center - Aislinn Pulley, seek to reclaim the land as a place of healing for the community. Simultaneously, the naming highlights the broader issue of lives lost to police violence, the urgency to address systemic injustices, and the hope that communities can build a better future for everyone.
Since Mr. Johnson’s death, Ms. Holmes launched the RonnieMan Foundation in honor of her son and continues to give back to her community. She hosts annual toy, winter clothing, and back-to-school drives and giveaways in the Washington Park neighborhood. She also helped maintain a food box nearby. Through the foundation, Mr. Johnson has impacted the lives of hundreds of young people through donations, advocacy, celebrations, and healing.
This request to officially name the playground at 53rd Street and King Drive within Washington Park has the support of Alderperson Jeannette Taylor, community members, and the Chicago Torture Justice Center. The Chicago Torture Justice Center seeks to address the traumas of police violence and institutionalized racism through access to healing and wellness services, trauma-informed resources, and community connection. The Chicago Torture Justice Center is a part of and supports a movement to end all forms of police violence. During the forty-five (45) day notice period initiated by the Board on April 8, 2026, the Chicago Park District received sixty-five (65) comments; of which, sixty-two (62) were in support of the proposed name and three (3) were in opposition.
The proposed name follows the criteria set forth in Chapter VII, Section E.2 of the Code for naming a park, which states, in part, that: “[i]f a proposed name is of a person, then (i) the person shall have been deceased for at least one year prior to consideration; and (ii) the person shall have demonstrated a continued commitment and made an extraordinary contribution to civic betterment, locally, nationally or internally.”
IV. Park Naming Procedures
Pursuant to Code, this request to name the park feature had been forwarded to the Secretary of the Chicago Park District, who filed a copy of this request and initiated a notice period to solicit public input. Notices were posted in parks and sent to advisory councils located within a one-mile radius of the park site. Elected officials were also notified of the proposal, including the alderperson of the ward in which the park is located. The notice period of forty-five (45) days soliciting public input regarding the naming proposal was initiated on April 8, 2026. There has been positive support for this proposal from community members, with sixty-two (62) comments in support of the name and three (3) in opposition. The General Superintendent recommends that the playground at 53rd Street and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive (“King Drive”) within Washington (George) Park be named Ronald “RonnieMan” Johnson Playground.