MICOP launches campaign to ensure pedestrian safety in the “La Colonia” neighborhood in Oxnard, CA

By: Miguel Hernandez

(Listen to our audio in Spanish and Mixteco, variant from Guadalupe Nundaca, 6 min)

The intersection crossing into the neighborhood ”La Colonia” creates fear for the lives of the mothers and their children who cross them daily. The intersection between Cooper Street and Colonia Rd is one of only 3 entrances that exist to enter this neighborhood. Dozens of mothers have reported feeling unsafe while crossing these train tracks daily due to the bad condition of the street, the excess potholes, and the lack of a crosswalk to protect people when crossing the road. 

Dozens of mothers have also reported their terror when they cross this intersection and their stroller tires get stuck on the train tracks and they become trapped in the middle of the street with their children. This intersection safety problem is one that mostly affects low-income communities, which rely on walking as their only form of transportation. 

Due to this growing concern for pedestrian safety in La Colonia, the Mixteco Indigenous Project organization launched the “Crossing Safely” campaign, which is focused on bringing awareness to the safety problems that the community of La Colonia faces every day. Community organizers working on the campaign have organized members of the La Colonia community to give their testimonies to the mayor of Oxnard, hoping to be heard and bring change to their community. 

On May 7, community members gathered at the Oxnard City Council meeting to give testimony about how the neighborhood’s unsafe intersections have affected their lives. A mother from the community, Belén Fabián, gave her testimony and shared that when she was walking with her child from La Colonia towards one of the MICOP offices, they were about to cross the train tracks when a car almost ran them over.

With her child in hand and tears in her eyes, Belén also shared how, throughout her childhood, she and her siblings walked to the Oxnard library. On their trips to the library, they encountered many instances where they were almost hit by a car due to the lack of security and pedestrian infrastructure. 

The policy director of MICOP, Vanessa Terán, also gave her testimony. Teran shared how the city is responsible for fixing this problem and that it has to commit to ensuring the lives of its citizens. 

Community members mentioned that a possible solution would be to put cameras at the intersection and a crosswalk and fix the pavement to make the interaction safer for all. 

Terán also shared how her own mother also felt the same fear when passing through the intersection of La Colonia and Cooper when she was a child and the tires of the stroller her mother was driving got stuck on the train tracks. 

The city council responded to public comments and mentioned that they do not have jurisdiction over the property surrounding the railroad tracks, as it is under federal jurisdiction. However, the council said they would take action to meet with those in charge of the railways and bring about change, but they reiterated that the process would not be easy or short.