I wanted to give people a sense of what we are all about so of course I went straight to the About Us page. That led me into the posts I wrote about clearing the sidewalks, which are my most passionate posts. As we were looking through a post I wrote in December of 2007 we clicked on a video link I had placed from the local news station. We were surprised that we could still watch it and it had been a while so we did.

The reporter was interviewing a Township board member about businesses not clearing the sidewalks and how it was a reoccurring problem then

 BAMMM…

“The Accident”

On the video were scenes from the morning our son was killed. There it was right in our face  

Footage of his bike under the SUV

We honestly don’t remember those scenes being in the video or we would prepared ourselves…but it reminds us that even as life moves on that horrific morning will never go away.

The video is a good one, it helped keep at least 50% of the sidewalks clear last year. The Township still doesn’t issue tickets nor do they issue the reminder Mr. Morrison speaks of. This video Bridgeport Businesses Asked to Clear Snow of Sidewalks gives parents like us some type of ammunition against government run institutions that can legally neglect their responsibilities of enforcing codes that can lead to killing kids.

We have many supporters that agree our son would have never been riding his bike in the road if he had a clear sidewalk to travel on…

The Township won’t admit their mistake and they won’t enforce the code. They have spit in our face and in the face of any parent that has lost a child due to the same circumstances. Just because they’re “the government” it doesn’t give them the right to neglect public safety due to the cost of issuing a ticket which actually brings in revenue.

It gets worse…The State Police Post on the side of the road where our son was hit by the car… Well lest just say that we had to call the Township Supervisor last year because they were not shoveling their sidewalks. Every year on the anniversary at the time of Dustin’s accident a group of us go to the cross on the side of the road and light a candle as a tribute to his memory. Last year there was 10 inches of snow across the sidewalk leading to his cross.

So even the State Government could give a shit about the safety of kids riding their bikes to school. That Really Makes Me Boil Over!

Frank Morrison and Richard Fisher were quoted saying

We had sidewalks installed (on Dixie) from Kroger to the fire station,” Morrison said. “Now, is anyone going to clean them so people can use them?” A few Dixie property owners have cleared their walks, he said.
The others are creating a hazardous situation for pedestrians and drivers.
“I went out the other morning, and there were a couple of kids walking on the Dixie,” Morrison said.
Trustee Richard Fisher said he saw people walking on Dixie early Tuesday night as well.
“We should either make those property owners comply (with township snow removal ordinances) or we should do it ourselves and charge them before someone gets killed,” Morrison said.

SOMEONE DID GET KILLED….OUR SON!

But then Mr. Richard Dunnill screwed it all up by stating

Township Manager Richard Dunnill said firefighters will post a reminder on the sign outside the fire station, and the township Web site also will have a note reminding residents of their snow removal responsibilities.

Thanks Mr. Dunill that will help!

The local news station also did a piece on the sidewalk issue yesterday and the reminded the community that our son was killed along that section of Dixie Highway because of the sidewalks. Click Here to read the article and view the video. This angered me even more because when I watched the news clip they showed scenes from our son’s accident, scenes in which I had not seen before, it was horrifying.
I just can’t take this government bullshit anymore, at the end of the news clip they stated that it was not likely that the township would issue citations for the defiance of the ordinance! Are you kidding me, they will issue me a citation in the spring if I have a broken down car in my driveway, but not for clearing the sidewalk which kills people!
UNBELIEVABLE!

A nice gentleman from our township wrote a letter to the editor the day after our son died. It stated…

Clear walks for safety Editor, The News:

A young teenager riding his bike on the Dixie Highway died last week. Six-thirty in the
morning on the Dixie is no place to be with a bike. This is awfully sad.
But here is the rest of the story that needs consideration. I often walk down the Dixie between 6 and 7 in the
morning with my dog. Nearly every morning, two teenagers would pass me on their bikes, on the sidewalk. They
were going to the Bridgeport Middle School, and would park their bikes there at the bike stand. On this particular
morning there was only one. The other was under the front wheels of a SUV on the Dixie.
The sidewalks Were covered with ice and snow. Practically no one clears the walks along the Dixie. McDonald’s
Restaurant is one company that does. The sidewalk is difficult to walk, and I have to wear boots. It is impossible
to drive a bike on that sidewalk, and if the sidewalk had been cleared, as it should have been, that teen still could
be alive.
I believe that Bridgeport Township should get serious in demanding that property owners keep their walks clear
of snow, or do it themselves, if there is an absentee owner, and invoice the owner. This non-sidewalk clearing
condition also occurs on State Street. I believe that it’s time for some action. If nothing more, the owners should
be given warnings.

Last year I complained again about the snow covered sidewalks, again I was told the ordinance would not be enforced! Just think with all the fines they could hand out to the property owners they could pay someone to enforce the ordinance. This time I called the local newspaper and they ran a story on the townships refusal to help get the sidewalks cleared. That story was featured in the paper on January 24, 2007, one year and one day after our son was killed. You may read the original article by clicking here. The township’s response was to put a sign up along Dixie Highway stating that there is an ordinance to shovel the sidewalks, please do so. No one complied.

This summer a new sidewalk was placed on our side of the highway, the township paid for the sidewalk and they still will not enforce the snow removal! How frustrating is that, this is absolutely ridiculous. One of the businesses along the new sidewalk is the Michigan State Police, not only have they not shoveled, but they have dead branches laying on their stretch of the sidewalk. My other son stopped into the State Police Station and asked the officer why they have not shoveled? He did not have an answer for him, matter of fact he said to take it up with the township because they put the sidewalk in! Now I have had it, this is insanely crazy. I plan to call the newspaper again and this time I am including the evening news channels.

For any property owner out there with a sidewalk on your property please shovel you have no idea what it means for the safety of other people. If you happen to be a business either shovel or employ a person to shovel and give back to the economy!