New York City’s third-largest borough, Staten Island was home to the Raritan and Unamis Indians when it was discovered in 1524 by Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano.
Despite multiple attempts by the Dutch to colonize the “Staten Eiland,” the natives defeated the Europeans in three wars spanning 1641-1655, the report said. Staten Island Historian.
However, the Dutch finally captured the island in 1661, called it Oudedorp, and ceded it to England three years later under Governor Peter Stuyvesant. It was later renamed Richmond County after the Duke of Richmond, son of the King of England.
For nearly 200 years, New Jersey and New York City quarreled over ownership of Staten Island, arguing that the Garden State had legitimate ownership given its proximity to the island.
However, Staten Islanders voted overwhelmingly to formally part of New York City in 1894, with the tally 5,531 to 1,505.
However, when the city decided to open a dump in Freshkills in 1948, many residents came to regret their decision, prompting then-Staten Island MP Edmund Radigant to introduce a secession bill. Arrived.
The dump was a major point of contention, but became even more of an issue after the City Council reorganized and left Staten Island with only three members in 1989. Staten Island has become popularly known as New York City’s “forgotten district.”
In 1990, Staten Islanders overwhelmingly approved a proposal for secession from the city, and a vote was held to pass it, but was ultimately blocked by then-mayor David Dinkins.
The Staten Island separatist movement ended with Rudy Giuliani’s victory over Dinkins in 1993, but Giuliani promised to address the island’s grievances, including closing the Fresh Kills landfill and making the Staten Island Ferry free. .
Ferries became free to residents in 1997 and the landfill was officially closed in 2001.
The Staten Island Republican Party has introduced several bills in recent years to try to get it out, but they have been unsuccessful.
City Councilors Stephen Mateo and Joe Borelli introduced legislation in 2019 to transform New York City into “four boroughs,” and Minority City Council leader Joseph Borelli pushed a similar bill last year. .
Republican Rep. Nicole Mariotakis, who now represents the island, is again calling for the island to leave after the city’s decision to use an abandoned school as a temporary home for immigrants.
