After the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, denied requests to paint crosswalk lines at an intersection popular among pedestrians, Kevin Cox, a retired crossing guard, decided to take matters into his own hands by placing spray chalk lines in the shape of a crosswalk. He's since been charged with intentional destruction of property, a Class I misdemeanor, and faces a sentence of up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
Cox's temporary crosswalk was placed at the intersection of Elliott Avenue and Second Street, which is often used by pedestrians visiting the Ix Art Park but does not have any painted crosswalk lines. Although 900 residents petitioned in October 2024 for a crosswalk to enhance safety following a fatal pedestrian-car crash at a nearby intersection, city officials responded by saying that pedestrians should cross at either First Street or Sixth Street, roughly 400 or 500 feet away, respectively, where painted crosswalks already exist.
Irritated by the city's inaction, Cox, an outspoken pedestrian advocate, placed his chalk lines in May 2025. "There is a marked crosswalk now at Second Street and Elliot Avenue in spite of you," he told the city manager, Sam Sanders, in an email sent that same day. "It's chalk, not paint. Please replace it with a real one," reported 29News, a local NBC affiliate.
