Volunteers paint crosswalk at South LA intersection where teen was killed by hit-and-run driver

A group of volunteers gathered in South Los Angeles on Sunday to paint a crosswalk at the intersection where a teenage boy was killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking with his mom and sister last week. 

The crosswalk was painted at the intersection of W. 60th Street and 10th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood by a team led by Jonathan Hale, the founder of People's Vision Zero.

Hale said that the crosswalk was painted after LA City Council members failed to take immediate action in the wake of 16-year-old Hernan Martinez's death last Tuesday night. Neighbors say the area has been dangerous for years as drivers often speed and run the stop signs. 

"I reached out to the council office, and I said, 'Hey, look, we're thinking about painting a crosswalk here, like we've been doing," Hale said. "I said that we were willing to hold off if the city committed to adding physical infrastructure by the end of the year."

Additionally, Hale asked that the council member representing the area, Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, call out to Mayor Karen Bass to declare a city state of emergency on traffic violence. 

"Unfortunately, they haven't done those things, so we're going to be painting the crosswalk to demonstrate what people can do when we work together," Hale said. 

Harris-Dawson's office told CBS LA that they are aware that there are problems at the intersection and they were looking into ways to slow drivers down and make the area safer for the public.

The memorial crosswalk is the latest project spearheaded by Hale and People's Vision Zero.