People gather at memorial for Brayan Trejo with hopes of pushing
city to install a turn signal at deadly intersection
By Rachelle Gines Staff Writer
Gilroy – A Spiderman backpack filled with crayons and small notebooks given to 5-year-old Brayan Trejo by his sister for Christmas last year will remain unused.
Brayan died Tuesday after being hit by a truck while riding his scooter alongside his 13-year-old brother, Jesus Trejo, in a crosswalk on 10th Street. His mother Blanca Trejo said Brayan was looking forward to starting kindergarten at Glen View School this fall.
“He used to steal notebooks and pencils from his older brother Jesus all the time and pretend he was going to school too because he was so excited. So I just went and bought school supplies for him,” Blanca Trejo said in Spanish through her nephew Francisco Mendoza.
The family was devastated upon hearing news of Brayan’s death, and about 40 friends and family members gathered at the family home off Church Street hours after the accident to console each other and share memories of the small child.
Jesus Trejo, who carried his brother Brayan to the sidewalk after the accident Tuesday, is doing well given what happened, Mendoza said.
“Jesus is strong, just as Brayan was,” Mendoza said. “Of course he is sad, but he hasn’t fallen to depression or deteriorated like people might think he would after he saw what happened. He was and still is a good brother.”
Mendoza laughed as Blanca Trejo remembered her youngest son.
“She said that Brayan used to pick flowers and bring them to her, and sometimes he would hide behind a couch or table after work and jump out to surprise her,” Mendoza said.
Community support
Cars roared through the intersection of 10th and Church streets Wednesday, as about 50 people gathered to remember Brayan Trejo.
Three of Trejos’ cousins and aunts, who declined to speak with the Dispatch, walked through the crowd, cradling a framed picture of the boy. They wore shirts that read in Spanish, “We will remember you with love.”
Mary Cisneros lives in an apartment on Church Street and organized a demonstration in front of a makeshift memorial of flowers, balloons, candles and teddy bears surrounding a framed picture of Trejos.
With about 20 neighbors in her home at 3am Wednesday, Cisneros said everyone agreed that a left-turn signal light could have prevented Brayan Trejos’ death. She added that she goes to church with the boy’s family and that he used to come and play at her house.
“After the accident we couldn’t sleep,” said Cisneros, who has four children. “It’s not right and we all said we wanted to do something and show the city what we think.”
Mendoza said his family is grateful for the community’s support.
“Brayan’s parents and family are thankful for everyone’s help. It is motivating and it lifts us,” he said.
Cisneros’ niece, Nereyda Camacho, 13, said she wanted to show support for the Trejos family. She held a dark-blue poster that read, “We could have saved Brayan if there was a signal light.”
The Trejo family believes something good can come from their loss.
“Thanks to Brayan, hopefully we’ll be able to fix the growing traffic problems Gilroy has with its growing population,” Mendoza said. “It’s not a small town in the ’80s anymore and the city needs to realize that.”
Intersection safety
Captain Scot Smithee of the Gilroy Police Department said that the intersection of Church and 10th used to be more dangerous than it is now.
“Several years ago, there only used to be stop signs at Church and 10th streets. But now with the stop lights, the intersection is safer now,” Smithee said.
Police said Robertina Franco of Gilroy was the driver of the silver Dodge Ram truck that struck and killed the child, and that she was cooperative and released at the scene. They are currently investigating the accident and will forward the case to the District Attorney’s Office once the investigation is complete.
Don Dey, city transportation engineer for the City of Gilroy said there is no budget to install a dedicated left turn signal at the intersection.
“There is nothing on schedule at this point to put in signals there,” he said. “There is no funding, and most of our funding comes from developer fees.”
Remembering a boy
Virginia Cardenes, of Gilroy, and her 12-year-old son Sotero Albarran brought roses from their own garden to Trejo’s memorial. Albarran said he knew Brayan since the child was 3 years old and that Brayan’s brother Jesus took good care of the little boy.
“My favorite memory of him is that he used to call his brother Jesus ‘Tutu’ when he was little because he couldn’t say it right,” Albarran said.
Prior to the demonstration, 16-year-old Nancy Marquez sat with cousins and friends in Cisneros’ home, covering boxes with green and red tissue paper to be used as a collection to pay for Trejo’s funeral expenses.
“I’m friends with Brayan’s older brother Jesus and I just want to help them out,” Marquez said.
Martha Arias, of Gilroy, said she works with Brayan’s mother at Christopher Ranch, and has known her for 12 years.
“It is so sad that this happened,” Arias said. “He was very talkative and very smart.”
An account is set up to help the family with funeral expenses. Donate to Wells Fargo, account no. 8616703883.
Rachelle Gines is an intern attending San Francisco State University. Reach her at 847-7158 or rg****@************ch.com.
