Man paints crosswalks in Westwood to make them safer, LAPD arrests him for vandalism

A man who says he makes dangerous crosswalks safer by painting them was arrested by Los Angeles police and cited for vandalism in Westwood Sunday afternoon.

“We want to make a change! I’m so tired of walking with my dog ​​and having problems, feeling like I’m walking into the street, walking into a void.”

Jonathan Hale said he painted code-compliant, but unauthorized, crosswalks with his team of @PeoplesVisionZero volunteers to protest for safer streets and better government.

The city says the painting is vandalism.

“We had painted those two legs when the police car came, which forced us to stop working,” Hale said.

In a video of the arrest posted to Hale’s Instagram, the officer can be heard saying that painting the crosswalks was considered “vandalizing city property without a permit.”

Bright white, freshly painted zebra crosswalks that stop abruptly with a filled outline at the fairly stable residential intersection of Kelton and Wilkins avenues in Westwood.

“When you see that…definitely while driving. On a bike, as a pedestrian, it’s like a safe place to cross,” Brigid Bell said.

“It’s the state of the rolling stop sign, and you see it quite often at that crosswalk,” said Abby, a pedestrian from Westwood.

That’s why Hale and People’s Vision Zero chose it from a long list of targets on their to-do list.

He said they have been “working on areas where pedestrians have been struck, injured or killed for the last 10 years,” since 2015, when Los Angeles committed to zero traffic deaths by 2025.

Instead, they almost doubled.

Hale, an avid urban cyclist, has personally painted 14 crosswalks since May, including one at the intersection of South New Hampshire Avenue and 4th Street, where a 9-year-old boy was struck and killed.

“I think we want a city that meets the needs of its population in that sense and prioritizes those things as a path forward,” Hale said. “I don’t think Los Angeles is doing this effectively.”

Mayor Bass’ office rescinded with a statement that read in part: “Despite communication about city, state and federal laws and parameters, Jonathan has chosen to continue to pursue his own course of action.” Our office called him back today to suggest we work together.

Now, with a $250 citation, Hale is ready to try working with the city again and continue the painting protest.

“It’s civil disobedience. You take action, you protest against the laws you want to change and you accept the consequences.”

Hale said he plans to show up for his Jan. 5 court date for the vandalism citation. He also confirmed receiving a call from the mayor’s office and speaking to his team.

He added that he hopes they can continue to accelerate some of the crosswalk projects across the city together.