Man gets felony charges for trying to make crosswalk safe!

Not entirely off topic but... it is illegal to park in front of mailboxes. The curb in front of my house is home to 12 such mailboxes. The curb is painted red. That doesn't stop people from parking in front of it which causes the 12 homes in the 'hood from not getting mail and my garbage not being collected.

I get charged if the trash collector cannot get to the bins, and I get charged if they have to make a return trip to collect my garbage, even if none of it is my fault.

I'd paint the curb red, but it already is....



Did I mention the neighborhood is predominantly Hispanic of Mexican origin?
Now I'm a racist / xenophobe? Rules are rules, just ask the Aztec and Inca royalty.

Here's the tedious thing about city laws. They were made in a city. Same with the streets.

Did you know that city streets have to be up to city code? That means they have to be made under law, under regulations, by certified professionals, and the records kept down at a city hall or other municipal place? These rules go up the government food chain all the way up to the top of federal regulatory groups, including the national security groups that may interpret this aberration of code as preparation for a plot to interrupt the ordinary flow of government. Yeah, national security goes nuts over these surprises so don't give them any.

In essence, what you have at it's simplest level is a piece of street graffiti. At it's most complex, this could be a setup for acts of fraud, including insurance fraud; and if they want to go there, and frequently they do these days, the government could accuse this of being pre-staging for terrorism. Oh yeah, Jose bin Hummus, a new convert, could be telling his new group that when the executive limo crosses those lines to send the exploding wheelchair person across. That scenario has been used in evil before, if only on a smaller scale.

I can guess at first glance that the crosswalk was not perpendicular to the street, which may make it out of code. EDIT: hold on, it's not that corner mess, it's the big empty one. Still, it's not painted right, and it's not painted better. Oh and I just noticed he's on a highway. See, look, even after a minute poring over things, if I were a pedestrian I'd be confused wondering what idiots painted these lines because it's still not up to code.

It may be painted with the wrong kind of paint for the roads in the neighborhood. It wasn't through any sort of real road crew work, which might upset a local union. The hard part is because it is slanted, even though it is there to lead the cross-walkers astray, if a driver were to turn that corner it would be out of their anticipated field of vision for street lines, and still they would miss it and potentially injure a pedestrian.

For the not yet informed, here is how you get street lines on a street in your neighborhood: you petition your local government for it. You write it out and get some supporters and ask them at one of their meetings. If they say no, do it again, and again, as long as you have to to get the laws in your neighborhood interests. You can stick in in the paper.

Otherwise, the officials will get miffed at this defiance to authority and they will let you know it. The hardest thing is that if they don't do it, copycats come around, and all hell can break loose with unofficial lines on the road.

So it's not legal for anybody except through the proper channels. I thought everybody already knew how not to be stupid in the neighborhood.

I don't get it...or the idea of it.

Cross when there's no cars coming--crosswalk or no crosswalk.
Pedestrians have right of way in Cali if memory serves.

Why go to all the trouble? Man states he was tired of watching people nearly get
hit crossing the street....So buy them some glasses...Tell them that those big shiny things that
go fast hurt when they hit you so don't cross the street in front of them...

reply to post by rival


Pedistrians do have the right of way. In fact, Crosswalk or not, that is a legally protected crossing under California state law. It's called, appropriately enough, an 'unmarked crosswalk'. At least it had been when I lived out there. The idea being that a natural crossing occurs where two or more streets intersect, as I vaguely recall it. I actually fought a ticket as a teenager on that issue, so it stands out a bit, even from a lifetime ago.

The problem is...Cars don't stop unless fear gives them a reason to in FAR too many cases. Fear of a ticket, fear of another car hitting them through an intersection or the last minute fear of actually killing a person in the street. That doesn't stop cars from coming REAL close to hitting people, every day though. Some areas in California near the truck stops were so bad for that (and these were marked crosswalks) I used to park my truck with a view to the street in those spots so I could watch the "show" when it got boring for a break or layover.

Pedestrian Polo is only half joking ..... So I do understand this guy's frustration as someone who lives in the neighborhood and having to watch his neighbors dodge morons in the street like they were aiming for them. I've seen it too much out there to doubt it.

Should he have gotten his hand slapped? Yeah.... He really did deserve that. A fine works for me. For some folks who almost seem to take joy in seeing their fellow man shafted through and through tho? Consider this.....because he painted some lines on the pavement to help his fellow residents? The following will be true now.

#1. He won't own a gun again....and damn sure not in California.

#2. He may or may not ever be legally permitted to vote again. Depends on the court and state for laws and ability to have that right restored.

#3 On every job application for the rest of his life, where it asks about Felony conviction? He'll be answering yes to that ...and most employers? Well.. Ask some here at ATS who I've seen post about this. They don't look or ask past a Yes on that question. Why, isn't something they ever get far enough to learn. Especially in this job market.

#4 A felony is generally defined as a crime carrying in excess of 1 year for incarceration. A Misdemeanor, less than 1 year. He deserves that? (As a general rule on this)

^ ^ ^ Being a convicted felon carries far more than JUST that for issues in American society and California in particular. The man did something wrong. We all agree on that. DEGREE of offense and INTENT used to matter in discretion for charging and outcome. It never used to be a "slam everyone, every time, to the absolute max the law permits...because they can". We've lost a lot in this society, in my opinion, as small minded people have forced a 0 tolerance approach to damn near everything in life.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Certainly the punishment doesn't fit the crime in this instance. The real tragedy is the "intent" of
goodwill and aid is disregarded for a strict interpretation of the law. A law which was intended to
punish those who had no good intention by their action.

The say no good deed goes unpunished....the sad reality is that sometimes this is true.

And yes, the total weight of the felony conviction is a cruel punishment for this "crime."
A just punishment would be community service---a simple slap on the wrist and a continuation
of the intent the man had already expressed thru his actions---it's what judges are elected for

Never really saw the point of crosswalks. They dont keep you from being hit and pedestrians always have the right of way regardless of the presence, or lack thereof, of a crosswalk.

In cities I've lived in in the past people just dart all willy nilly to and fro into traffic and across 4 lanes despite crosswalks and little blinking green man signs at every single corner.

They are redundant and expensive and create a false sense of safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

reply to post by rival

I can't help but add my thought as you mention community service. The oddest image popped into my mind if I were a Judge with him on this case. Community Service... Hmm.. Yes.. What would fit best for his "crime"?

How about he stand crossing guard duty for part of a school term? I'll bet the cars having to drive "his" intersection would really come to love him.

What happened to the creative Judges and fitting punishments for people's little infractions? There is room there for a teachable moment, to be sure. lol....

reply to post by Jefferton

Didn't have authorization to do so, should have thought it through. Must suffer consequences. And cross-walks really don't do anything but give the illusion of safety.

more and more people think they need "authorization" to do things on PUBLIC property.

he should have written the city first, and when they didn't act, then he should have acted.

to those who support this man being sentenced for felony vandalism, please point out the injured party. who is seeking regress, and for what? what damage did he do?

He should have petitioned and used official routes. Attend council/city meetings.

BUT a felony? That's kind of dumb.

Everything in our society is so expensive. A top of the line firetruck can cost 1.3 million. A pedestrian bridge can cost a million dollars. There're so many rules when you build something.

Rules upon rules upon rules. This is probably why our nation is in debt. But more than that, it's all of the subsidies. The public pays for failed projects and takes most of the hit.

I think you'd call this bureaucracy. Sure, I know our modern society is complex. But it resembles bloat too. Is there a way to have a simpler system and still keep people safe?

We've traded freedom for security, haven't we? I remember reading an article about traffic safety and it said that they looked at countries where traffic laws were fewer and did not find excessive casualties due to traffic accidents. People in those countries use a "common sense" system.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


This is so ridiculous. It never surprises me how lazy cities, especially here in California, can be when it comes to pedestrian safety. They keep wanting to encourage eco friendly ways of transportation, so why not beef up your pedestrian walk ways. There's nothing more eco friendly than walking...It's also crazy to see the people they appoint to help kids cross streets before and after school. Personally I would have some issues with some of these people interacting with my non-existent children.

I agree with the felony. We are too many! That better cross walk only allows the physically inferior to continue the bloodline of their physical inferiorities.

When crossing the street we all should be blindfolded! Drivers too! Gotta make sure the best, smartest and luckiest survive!

Derek