LANSING, MI — Activist Mary Lou Pittman, 73-years of age and the residents of her quiet apartment building decided to take action; when fellow resident, disabled Dennis Neil, received a $115.00 ticket for jaywalking.
Left Seated Left to Right: Mary Lou Pittman, Lansing Police Officer, Jeremy Churchill;Councilmember Carol Wood and Councilmember Eric Hewitt (also present but not shown in this picture was Councilmember Brian Jeffries). TNCP Photo
They reside at Riverfront Apartments located at 601 N. Cedar Street. The apartment building houses 200 senior and disabled residents who say that they often don’t cross at the corner of Cedar and Saginaw because it is too dangerous.
Mr. Neil stated that he was crossing the street with two other individuals while returning from Quality Diary and they all received jaywalking tickets.
Mr. Neil said he had a closed head injury 28 years ago as a result of a car accident. He was in a coma for three months and lost a quarter of his brain.
During the march, Barbara Hale’s wheelchair couldn’t maneuver through the ruts in the sidewalk and she was forced into the street. She said her wheels get stuck and she has to wait to be pushed out. She said one time while crossing at the corner a truck hit her and dragged her until she began to hit it with her cane. She added that she and many other residents have had many near misses that have never been reported.
The residents of the building had an opportunity to express their concerns about traffic safety and the dangers of crossing at the corner of Cedar and Saginaw.
A Michigan Department of Transportation representative was present taking notes as each resident spoke about their near death experiences.
Officer Jeremy Churchill was also present and stated that he would inform his fellow officers about the safety concerns discussed at the meeting. He said he was unaware that there were walkability problems for residents.
“I can’t afford to pay the ticket. I used to own a sound company and a 5 acre farm on Vashion Island in the state of Washington. After a car accident and a hospital bill of $248,000.00 and I had to go on disability. I now live on fixed income.”
Mr. Neil and the others are currently contesting the jaywalking tickets. He said his closed head injury causes him to slur and half of his body is partially paralyzed.
There’ll be another meeting planned in several weeks to discuss what changes could possibly be made to make it safer for the residents to cross the multiple one-way laned street. Suggestions were made regarding a crosswalk, light changes, extra police and signage.
