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Stringer asks Obama to officially recognize Stonewall Inn park

voted unanimously on June 23, 2015 to designate the Stonewall Inn a city landmark. ” class=”wp-image-110768381″/>
The NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously on June 23, 2015 to designate the Stonewall Inn a city landmark. Photo Credit: Sheila Anne Feeney

Stonewall Inn became an official city landmark this year and now City comptroller Scott Stringer wants the president to go one step further.

Stringer sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Friday asking him to consider an executive order that would designate Christopher Park, located opposite the iconic Greenwich Village bar, a national monument.

“A federal designation for Christopher Park … would enable this site to take its place along similar places of historical significance in New York City,” he wrote.

The president hasn’t responded to the letter as of Sunday according to Stringer’s office.

Stonewall was the site of the June 28, 1969 clash between LGBT patrons and police, who were raiding gay bars. The incident sparked days of rallies and protests that were recognized as the first major LGBT rights movements.

In June, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, unanimously approved a vote to officially recognize the bar as an historically significant location. The designation granted protections to preserve the bar’s look.

Stringer noted the president cited the Stonewall riots and likened them to other civil rights protests such as Senaca Falls and Selma in his second inaugural address.

“Now you can strengthen this linkage by issuing an Executive Order,” he wrote.