What happened Tuesday at 4th and King, and what we must do to win real change on our streets

What should never, ever happen has happened.

A four-year-old child was killed as her family pushed her in a stroller in the crosswalk at 4th and King Streets on August 15.

There has been an outpouring of grief and outrage, including at the rally that Walk SF organized one week after the crash, on Tuesday evening. The message to City leaders is this: never again.

Now, we need you to echo this message. Because the fact is, we are not seeing City leaders respond sufficiently given what happened.

Walk SF is asking the City to take three actions to fix deadly crosswalks citywide, including 4th and King.

We will not let this tragedy just be a flurry of stories in the news.

It must be a wakeup call for City leaders.

It must be the turning point truly for creating safe streets (especially intersections) for everyone, across San Francisco.

So please join us in making sure meaningful action happens now.

• Email City leaders now – and ask others to, too.
• Sign up for a shift handing out action flyers at 4th and King.
• Support this work with a donation.

I will never forget the sight of so many people walking the crosswalks at 4th and King last night with signs and strollers, including a ghost stroller, painted white and holding only flowers.

It broke my heart yet again for the family of the four-year-old. This should never have happened.

But I was also deeply moved because I could feel the determination of all of us to fight harder than ever to honor this child’s memory by winning real changes on our streets, to protect children and everyone. And we will.

Photos from the rally

Here are some of our photos from Tuesday’s powerful rally. Click on the photo to view the full image in high resolution.

The rally in the news

• SF activists rally for change, safety in wake of 4-year-old’s death (San Francisco Examiner)
• Community outrage for child killed at SF intersection; rebel group installs barriers (KTVU 2)
• Advocates rally at fatal crash site in SoMa, demanding safer streets (KQED)

Banner Image: Emily Huston