By Katy Murphy
Oakland Tribune


OAKLAND — Mothers in fluorescent vests stepped cautiously into the crosswalk in front of the Manzanita elementary school campus in East Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood Wednesday morning and signaled drivers to yield to the parade of young pedestrians.

But as soon as the morning safety patrol ended, cars began blocking the crosswalks, and a group of school-age teenagers appeared at the corner of 25th Avenue and East 27th Street. One exhaled smoke from his perch on a retaining wall surrounding the school property, and three others stood around him.

"This is what I worry about," Elizabeth Ramos said quietly in Spanish as she walked home after dropping off her children, 6 and 11, at Manzanita Community School.

Ramos said drug deals near the school, paired with traffic concerns, prompted her and about 20 other parents to organize a safety committee last year. With the help of Alameda County's Safe Routes to Schools program, they established the safety patrol.

Ramos said the presence of vigilant adults helps to keep the streets safe — at least for a short time each day.

Glancing at the group of boys on the corner, she said, "What if they start selling to the older students?"

At least 65 schools in Alameda County participated Wednesday in International Walk to School Day. Children at Manzanita SEED and Manzanita Community School earned stickers that announced whether they had arrived on foot, by bicycle or by
Advertisement
bus.

At those two neighborhood schools, walking is the norm. Not only do many families live nearby; some don't have cars.

Most mornings, Ramos heads to school with her children and others on their block. She said she has been making an extra effort to walk with her daughter — usually around neighborhood parks — since she learned the girl was at risk for developing Type II Diabetes, which exercise can help prevent.

"It was a shock to think that a little girl could have this disease," Ramos said.

Ramos said she doesn't just want her own children to be healthy, active and safe; she also wants their classmates to be able to walk or ride their bikes in the neighborhood.

"This is about the safety of all of the children," she said.


Oakland Tribune