NEW YORK CITY — Councilwoman Letitia James made a surprise appearance at a rally on the steps of City Hall Monday morning.
"She spoke on the need for the NYPD to take action against dangerous driving in our communities," Michael Murphy, communications director for Transportation Alternatives, said.
Approximately 60 people, including Jacob Stevens, husband of Clara Heyworth, who was struck and killed by a driver on Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn last July, attended the rally.
The driver who hit Heyworth in Fort Greene was suspected of speeding and being drunk, according to a press release from Transportation Alternatives, which also claims that crucial evidence was lost because of a delayed police investigation.
James represents the district where Heyworth was killed.
"James is very supportive of the need for better police work in traffic accidents," said Barbara Sherman, James' communications director. "Especially regarding this particular case in her district."
The rally was held to "call on Mayor Bloomberg to convene a task force to overhaul traffic enforcement procedures and bring justice to crash victims and their families," stated the press release.
"The NYPD currently only investigates 10 percent of all traffic accidents," said Murphy. "We are attempting to reverse this low investigation rate."
Stevens will file a lawsuit at the United States District Court in Brooklyn Monday, according to the New York Times, against the NYPD for failing to investigate.
