YouTube video

Three years ago a six-year old girl called Nia was run over on a crosswalk a stone’s throw from her elementary school in Berkeley. That school was Malcolm X on Ashby Avenue, a state highway. Since then, parents have been campaigning to improve pedestrian safety around the school.

According to Jenne King, chair of the school’s Traffic and Safety Committee, it is only through the actions of those parents, and not through efforts by the city or the school district, that change has come. Read her piece published today in our Opinionator section.

The good news is that six-year old Nia survived the collision, and that matters have improved since the video above was made in February 2011.

Berkeleyside welcomes submissions of op-ed articles of 500 to 800 words. We ask that we are given first refusal to publish. Topics should be Berkeley-related and local authors are preferred. Please email submissions to us. Berkeleyside will publish op-ed pieces at its discretion.

Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California’s independently-owned local news site. Learn more about the Berkeleyside team. Questions? Email editors@berkeleyside.org.