A vigil for pedestrian lives lost at a dangerous and ignored Providence intersection
"All I want is justice," said Alexis Garcia. "That’s all I want, so no one else can die here, and no one has to suffer through what I have suffered.”
A week ago, Lucas Garcia was hit in a crosswalk by a First Student school bus on Union Avenue at the Route 10 on-ramp. He was 38. Lucas was hit on his way to work. He died hours later in the hospital, leaving behind his wife, Jessica, and his son, Alexis.
Two years ago, 76-year-old Violet Barracks was killed in the same spot in a hit-and-run. According to her niece, former State Representative Marcia Ranglin-Vassell, the man who hit her was drunk.
On late Tuesday afternoon, not far from the spot where both pedestrians ended their lives, a vigil was held, uniting the families with activists concerned with pedestrian safety. Here’s the video:
“I want to thank you all for being here today and joining us in the pain of me and my son, who is so young, and staying without his father,” said Jessica Garcia, stoic in her sadness. “We ask that the city address these concerns and safety issues. Just because these buses work for the City of Providence, that doesn’t mean that they can drive around and cost the life of one of our citizens.
“Today it was Alexis’s father who passed away, but tomorrow, who? We ask that the city take action now. We’re asking for justice, and that the city investigate fully what happened here so that justice is served.”
“The loss of my father saddens me so much,” said Alexis Garcia. “I won’t get to grow up with him anymore. It’s good that there weren’t any kids on the bus - they don’t have to be traumatized and see my father on the ground, lifelessly bleeding. All I want is justice. That’s all I want, so no one else can die here, and no one has to suffer through what I have suffered.”
“Last week, when I read the news, my heart broke because I knew it was the same spot that took my aunt three years ago,” said Maricia Ranglin-Vassell. “I’m standing here today because of my aunt, who sponsored me from Jamaica to come here. She’s no longer here. I stand here today because this just reopened - the wound was never closing. My aunt was killed right in this spot by a drunk driver who showed up in court the next day with us. We never got justice because he was allowed to self-deport.
“I am going to extend my prayers and love and demand that the City of Providence act now, because they can,” continued Ranglin-Vassell. “We need to have safer streets. Another family should not have to go through what our families, in shared grief, have endured.”
Liza Burkin from the Providence Streets Coalition emceed the vigil, which was held with the assistance of Progreso Latino.
“After Ms. Barracks died here three years ago, nothing changed, and that is unacceptable,” said Burkin. “We are so sad to have lost Lucas just this past week. Luckily, the city has money to change this intersection, but they are not moving fast enough, and we are here to demand that they move this project to the top of the list so that nobody else has to suffer like these families are suffering today.”
