Community Vents Anger After Child’s Death in Crosswalk : Neighbors for Years Have Called for Signal at Boyle Heights Intersection

To people who live on the south side of Boyle Heights, the intersection of 8th and Concord streets is more than a typical intersection with a carniceria and a bus stop.

It was at this intersection, in the twilight of Nov. 28, that a car, its driver rushing to work, struck and killed 9-year-old Juanita Martinez in a crosswalk.

Amid such urban crises as drug wars, the homeless and pollution, Juanita’s death served as a reminder that, closest to home, the simple placement of a traffic signal can be the difference between good government and bad government. The hard fact is that Juanita had not even been born when residents here started complaining about the need for a signal at the intersection. They are still complaining.

“Juanita died a victim of neglect and indifference of the authorities of the city of Los Angeles,” Margarito Gutierrez, a resident of the nearby Estrada Courts housing project, declared at a press conference Tuesday afternoon at the corner. “The responsibility for Juanita’s death is theirs.”

Alatorre Blamed

Residents blame Councilman Richard Alatorre. They said he ignored their pleas to have a traffic signal installed. Aides for Alatorre said the councilman has followed the guidance of the city’s Department of Transportation but will conduct further study based on residents’ reports that in this year alone “20 incidents” at the intersection have endangered people.

“The 20 incidents--that hasn’t been brought to our attention,” said Brad Sales, Alatorre’s press deputy.

As Juanita Martinez’s father silently displayed a portrait of his daughter, Antonio Rodriguez of the Latino Community Justice Center read a 1978 letter by then-Assemblyman Art Torres, endorsing the proposal for a traffic signal.

But that effort came to naught. One night three years ago, John Garcia spent three weeks in a coma after he was struck by a car while crossing at the same intersection. “I still get blackouts,” he said.

350 Sign Petition

Last year, Estrada Courts residents said they submitted a petition to Alatorre’s office signed by 350 people, asking for a traffic signal. Gutierrez said they had told city officials, “If a tragedy occurred, it would be their responsibility.”

Alatorre’s aides said the Department of Transportation studied the intersection but determined that traffic and pedestrian levels did not warrant a signal. They pointed out that there are signals one block east and one block west of the intersection--each about 100 yards away.

“It’s a matter of priorities and where you put your lights. The other problem is congestion,” Sales said. “And sometimes people run red lights and kill people, too.”

Gutierrez charges that Alatorre failed to pass on their concerns to the Department of Transportation--a point disputed by Sales.

No Study Indicated

Dennis Roth, a Transportation Department engineer whose area includes Boyle Heights, said in an interview that files do not indicate a study had been conducted for 8th and Concord. A letter sent by Alatorre in March, 1987, listed nine Boyle Heights intersections for study, but 8th and Concord was not among them, Roth said.

Residents were not satisfied by the explanations of Alatorre’s aides. “Whether or not there are two lights nearby, the city has a responsibility to ensure the safety of children,” Rodriguez said.