New York City’s quintessential scribe was honored with a permanent perch above his former stomping ground on 42nd Street and Third Avenue.
“Jimmy Breslin Way” was unveiled Wednesday in a ceremony with his family, friends and elected officials.
Breslin spent decades writing about his beloved city for The New York Herald Tribune, the New York Daily News and Newsday, fiercely defending the “little guy” and happily deflating politicians.
Breslin died in 2017 at the age of 88.
“Someone might look up at this sign and say, ‘Who the hell is Jimmy Breslin?’ and then look him up and share in some magnificent writing,” said his son, Kevin Breslin, a filmmaker.
The sign is located near the former Daily News building, where Breslin made headlines of his own when he received dark missives from notorious Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz in 1977. His colorful and insightful columns at the News won him a Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 1986.
The corner received a temporary street sign after Breslin’s death but it was later taken down. Breslin’s family and friends lobbied City Councilman Keith Powers for a permanent replacement after being rebuffed by his predecessor, Daniel Garodnick, who said he was opposed to all street renamings.
Kevin Breslin said remembering his father’s legacy is especially important during a time when the news media has been called “the enemy of the people” by President Donald Trump, who often dismisses reports as “fake news.”
“This was a man who was no enemy of the people,” Breslin said of his father. “And there’s no fake news. Some of them may have boring writing, but it’s not fake news.”
