Two University students clad in white lie on the side of East Boyd Drive, covered in grass, limbs splayed and unmoving. Cars slow down, but they simply pass the two bodies. Down the street, a collective shouting is heard.
But this isn’t the real deal. It’s a protest advocating for sidewalks on East Boyd Drive.
Twenty-seven students gathered on Thursday, shouting and toting signs with messages such as “Bring Sidewalks to East Boyd” and “Dead Man it.”
Brooke Story, communication studies senior, said she was standing in the middle of East Boyd Drive during part of the protest.
“Half of our class almost just got hit by cars,” Story said.
She said this was an example of how easy it is for cars to hit people on streets without sidewalks.
Business senior Rudy Franklin said he was dressed “ridiculously” because he thought the lack of sidewalks was ridiculous. He wore a white suit and a complementary hat.
“We’d like to keep the students safe,” Franklin said.
General studies senior Andrew Storms said the occurrence is so common that most students are aware of it happening.
“If you’re a student, you know someone who got hit,” he said.
Assistant Director of the Department of Public Works David Guillory said the office is setting aside $330,000 for sidewalks in Baton Rouge in the 2012 budget, including one on East Boyd Drive from Nicholson to Burbank drives.
“There’s a lot of foot traffic in the area,” Guillory said. “It’s always safe to get people out of the roadway and on
Flash mob makes demands for sidewalks on East Boyd Drive
November 17, 2011