VIDEO: Brooklyn Street Named for Bus Operator Edwin Thomas

Mayor Bill de Blasio on February 5th signed into law a bill renaming a section of East 49th Street in Brooklyn as Edwin Thomas Way. Brother Thomas was stabbed to death by an enraged passenger on Dec. 1, 2008 on a B46 bus in Brooklyn. The renaming is a victory for TWU Local 100, said President John Samuelsen, who was present at the signing ceremony at City Hall. The renaming was done at the request of City Council Member Alan Maisel (D-Brooklyn), who was lobbied by TA Surface officers including Vice President J.P. Patafio, Division Chair Willie Rivera, and Vice Chair Louis Marrero. In this video, the Councilman speaks about the dangers faced by transit workers, and Edley Thomas, who was 16 at the time of her father's slaying, speaks movingly to an audience of hundreds who were in the main chamber of the City Council.