Hester’s family attended the park opening ceremony with at-large Boston City Councilor Henry Santana and Allston-Brighton City Councilor Liz Breadon. Santana said on Instagram that it was “an honor to join the community in dedicating this space to Rita’s legacy.” 

Eartha Hester, Rita’s sister, told The Advocate in 2023 that she believes the case went unsolved because Boston Police didn’t devote time or resources to it, as “Rita wasn’t just gay, she was also Black so she had two things that were not on her side at that time.”

“They didn’t gather evidence that they were supposed to because they didn’t really care,” Eartha said, adding, “We have a man in a dress, whatever. They just didn’t care. They didn’t have empathy.”

Eartha still said that she and her family have been moved by the support Hester has received in death, referencing TDOR and a mural of Rita at 506 Cambridge St. The text next to the painting of Rita’s face is a line from one of her poems: “Look to me, my family.”

“She just happened to be a star for Transgender Day of Remembrance for a whole lot of other people, and I think that’s really beautiful,” Eartha continued. “Her death was not in vain, she started something that will last forever … Rita’s name is known worldwide.”