New Rochelle Divided Over Ray Rice's Inclusion In City's Walk Of Fame
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The City of New Rochelle is preparing to induct new members into its Walk of Fame -- and among them is controversial former NFL star Ray Rice.
The honor is receiving mixed reviews because of his domestic violence past, CBS2's Alice Gainer reported.
The Walk of Fame surrounds Ruby Dee Park outside of the New Rochelle library. It was installed in 2011 and includes people such as Jay Leno and Lou Gehrig, among many other notable residents.
Rice was a star football player at New Rochelle High School and in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens, but his career was cut short after a video surfaced of him knocking out his then-fiancee in an Atlantic City elevator.
Barbara Davis, New Rochelle's city historian, said she eventually relented on including Rice.
"We actually saw this as an opportunity to further the cause of ending domestic violence by showing that he had this stellar career and he's now having to relive that incident," she said.
Rice won't be featured alone on one of the placards. Instead, he'll appear alongside six other NFL players, and there will be a paragraph mentioning the domestic violence incident."
Many residents think including him and the incident is fair.
"I do think about when he had the altercation with his wife," said Zanovia Lee. "But I mean, he's human."
"He deserves it," another woman said. "Everyone makes mistakes."
"He did a lot for New Rochelle," one man said. "He went back to the elementary schools and the high school."
But some would argue what he did was more than a mistake.
"It's a blight on his record and career, and it really doesn't fit here," said Jeanne Meyer.
The induction ceremony will be held May 12. Rice is invited.