After Another Fatal Crash, He Drew a Crosswalk. Now He Might Face Jailtime.

On a quiet Saturday morning in Charlottesville, Virginia, Kevin Cox did what the city wouldn’t: he drew a crosswalk. Armed with spray chalk, he marked out white stripes on a dangerous intersection where, just months earlier, a 64-year-old woman was hit and killed while walking to work. It was a simple act of public care—meant to draw attention to a deadly gap in the city’s pedestrian infrastructure. But it has landed Cox in legal trouble.

He now faces misdemeanor charges for the “intentional destruction of property under $1,000,” a charge that according to Action 5 News could carry up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.

“They have provoked me,” Cox said of the charges. “It’s not going to stop me.”

Cox had long urged city officials to address speeding along this stretch of road. The lack of response—even after the latest fatality—was the final straw. On the same day he chalked the crosswalk, he sent an email to the City Manager that read: “There is a marked crosswalk now at Second Street and Elliot Avenue in spite of you… It’s chalk, not paint. Please replace it with a real one.”

But instead of responding with action—or even acknowledgment—the city charged Cox with vandalism. His temporary crosswalk was quickly painted over, and there’s still no indication that a permanent one will take its place.

This punitive response is a stark contrast to the way other cities are embracing low-cost, community-driven interventions. Pittsburgh, for instance, is taking a different approach. In 2022, the city launched its “Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program,” which not only permits but actively encourages residents to identify dangerous intersections and propose fixes—including temporary, low-cost solutions like painted curb extensions, plastic bollards, and chicanes.