Williams Southside Memorial Park

Members of the bike messenger community came together in Tompkins Square Park on Friday to mark the naming of a bench for bike messenger and photographer ‘Fast’ Eddie Williams. Friends featured in his 2004 photo book ‘Bike Messengers Life – New York City‘ joined Eddie’s son Nagi, daughter Koko and dozens of working messengers for the service. The beautiful weather allowed for a fitting sun set over the bench that sits opposite the big tree on the south side of the park, a longtime gathering spot for New York bike messengers.The bench plaque for ‘Fast Eddie’ WIlliams.Williams, who died in September of 2016, came to New York from the West Indies in the late 1970s and fell in with messengers from his part of the world that were making a name for themselves on two wheels. His catchphrase from his native region, “Take it easy My Youth,” was printed on the memorial plaque, vis the Parks Department‘s Adopt a Bench program. It was sponsored by perennial NYC messenger bag company a id="m_-6691629036273337251LPlnk93881" class="m_-6691629036273337251OWAAutoLink" href="http://... (Bedford + Bowery)