Stone-faced against a blinding sun, Blanca Trejo stood alongside
the street where her 5-year-old son was killed by a pickup truck a
little more than a year ago, hit in a crosswalk as he rolled his
scooter across 10th Street.
Gilroy – Stone-faced against a blinding sun, Blanca Trejo stood alongside the street where her 5-year-old son was killed by a pickup truck a little more than a year ago, hit in a crosswalk as he rolled his scooter across 10th Street.
Alongside her, children and neighbors bore grim signs pleading for a designated left-turn signal at the busy crossing of Church and 10th streets – a light they say could have saved small Brayan Trejo’s life.
“They haven’t done anything,” Blanca Trejo said, speaking in Spanish. “A year has passed, and no light. We don’t want this to happen to another child. It’s so ugly.”
Traffic engineer Don Dey said the left-turn light is in the works, and is budgeted for construction this fiscal year. According to Dey, his department has nearly finished designing the changes, which will create a protected left-hand turn from 10th Street onto Church Street, the 13th most dangerous intersection in Gilroy, according to a February 2005 traffic study.
But that wasn’t the Trejos’ impression as they held up their signs Monday afternoon along 10th Street. Many protesters thought the city had denied funds for the project this year, and complained bitterly that other improvements had already happened.
“The city says they don’t have the funds, but they have the money to fix Santa Teresa Boulevard and Monterey?” asked Mary Cisneros, a family friend. “It’s not right.”
“They fix other stuff,” said 14-year-old Jesus Trejo. “But not this.”
Language barriers may have contributed to the confusion: The posters the Trejos held read in Spanish and halting English “Answer City of Gilroy, We Need Your Answer to the Signal Lign” and ‘We Need Savetly Streets in Gilroy.” Cousin Marisela Trejo said the family has had little communication with City Council, or with Dey himself.
But their frustration – and fear – is real. Neighbor Maria Azuerta said she worries about local kids coming home from school.
“Often people don’t watch the crosswalk,” she said quietly.
“Like yesterday,” added Gabriela Gamez, another neighbor, gesturing to Azuerta. “She was crossing and a truck turned left and almost hit her – the exact same way [that Brayan died.]
“I’m pregnant and my baby’s not even born yet,” Gamez reflected, “and I’m already worried about what happens when she goes outside.”
It was a bittersweet gathering for the Trejos, who still grow teary speaking of tiny Brayan, nicknamed “Spider Man” for his love of the masked superhero. Many wore T-shirts emblazoned with the 5-year-old’s communion photo, including Brayan’s sister, Cecilia Trejo, who held her infant son swaddled against her chest: She named him Brayan, after the brother she lost.
It is unclear if the Trejos plan to file a civil suit against the city: In January, the family filed a claim against the city, arguing that faulty controls at the intersection contributed to Brayan Trejo’s death. The city rejected the claim, and the Trejos have until July 22 to file suit. The Trejos’ attorney, Paul Caputo, could not be reached Tuesday or Wednesday for comment, and family members present at the march were unsure whether Jesus Trejo, Brayan’s father, had decided to sue.
In the meantime, they mourn and protest, sometimes in the same breath, in the same signs, along the same street that recalls their tragedy.
“Are they waiting for another kid to get run over?” complained Alfonso Ortiz, a cousin. “Why can’t they do this one little thing?”
