Friday Not Funny: Drake Meme Appears in a NYC Parks Department Rendering

An armed forces veteran or a Boston Marathon bombing survivor would have been a better choice.

2 minute read

September 22, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Drake Meme

NYC Parks should be much more embarrassed than Drake. | NYC Parks / Parks Without Borders: Fort Greene Park

Hannah Freisberg was the first to notice the presence of Drake in a rendering created by the New York City Parks Department to tout accessibility improvements proposed for Fort Greene Park [pdf].

In the rendering, Drake is depicted in an early role as Jimmy Brooks, a wheelchair-bound teen on the Canadian soap Degrassi: The Next Generation. The image of the rapper Drake in a wheelchair has provided the Internet with a popular source of meme material, superimposing the lyrics from Drake's songs over the image of him portraying a physically disabled teenager.

Freisberg's scoop has been picked up by publications as disparate as the New York Post and music site Stereogum. Reporting for the New York Post, Joe Tacopino produces a statement from Parks Department spokesperson Sam Biederman, which quotes Drake lyrics to explain the design choice: "Started at the bottom of Fort Greene Park’s signature hill, now we’re here with the final design, which takes care to create a more welcoming park entrance – with improved views."

That's the news, and here's my opinion: It's very surprising to see public officials ostensibly working to improve accessibility in accordance with federal law referencing an Internet meme that belittles people with disabilities. That choice, and the statement that followed, reveals several errors in judgment, and it raises the question of whether the Parks Department is working in the best interest of those that they are paid, and legally and morally obligated, to represent.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017 in Brokelyn

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Two Rivian trucks charging at Rivian branded charging ports.

US Senate Reverses California EV Mandate

The state planned to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035, a goal some carmakers deemed impossible to meet.

May 22 - CALmatters

Metal U.S. Geodetic Survey marker in stone in Arizona.

Trump Cuts Decimate Mapping Agency

The National Geodetic Survey maintains and updates critical spatial reference systems used extensively in both the public and private sectors.

May 22 - Wired

Close-up of 10 mph speed limit sign.

Washington Passes First US ‘Shared Streets’ Law

Cities will be allowed to lower speed limits to 10 miles per hour and prioritize pedestrians on certain streets.

May 22 - The Urbanist