Author: Ryan Hutzel
I was in my car at a 4-way intersection at what appeared to be a rural downtown area. Sidewalks, trees, store fronts. I was coming up to a stop light in my car, just me driving, even though the light was green many teenage kids were crossing the roads. They had backpacks on, seemed like they were coming from school, assuming because of the time of day seemed like afternoon. I waited as they kept walking, light turned red, and when it was my turn to go again, more began to cross the crosswalk again, jay walking. I remember seeing the sign blinking to stop and not walk. I was frustrated. There weren’t any other vehicles waiting, around me at the moment so I backed up and parked along the street.
After getting out, I began to look around, there were adults in the distance up the street away from the stop signals, from the direction my car would have come from. I walked up to the crowd of people that seemed to appear to be construction workers. I asked, isn’t there any cross walk guards here to help assist when these kids should and should not cross the roads? A man replied, no there has not been for some time. I noticed that there were safety vests on a roadway sawhorse sign. I asked if I could borrow one for a little while, I will bring it back. He said sure. I grabbed it, put it on. Barely fit… but walked back to the crosswalk and waited for the next wave of teens. They came, I saw cars coming this time, I put my hand up and told them to stop, they just kept coming with no regard to authority. As they came, I confronted this group, and asked do you have no respect for those that are trying to preserve your life? They laughed and walk around me. I made a statement that I would be sure to inform the school systems in the morning of this. I just stood there and watched them continue to cross with hazard in front of oncoming vehicles, with no regard to safety or their lives. Felt very helpless and confused, the dream ends.