Over the summer, a suspected drunk driver killed 9-year-old Nadir Gavarrete in Koreatown. Activists painted a memorial at the intersection of 4th Street and New Hampshire Boulevard, along with a DIY crosswalk, in Nadir’s memory.
The boy’s father, Pedro Gavarrete, spoke to The LA Local about what it means for the city to remove the memorial and for activists to bring it back.
“If people want to write ‘in memory of Nadir’ that’s fine with me, but if the city doesn’t want that there, well then there’s nothing I can do,” Gavarrete said. “Nadir is on my mind, he’s in my heart and if God only wanted to lend him to me for nine years, that’s okay. Only God knows what he does.”
The city of Los Angeles installed a temporary traffic circle at the intersection in early November, several months after Nadir was killed while riding an e-scooter with his older brother, who survived the crash. The traffic-calming circle was only installed after the DIY crosswalks and the original memorial were installed by the volunteer-led group Crosswalks LA.
Bianca Cockrell with the group said police stopped them on Dec. 17 while activists tried to reinstall the memorial. The group returned the next day to finish the work.
“As far as we know, the city has not removed it and we hope it stays that way,” she said.
The volunteer-based group said in an Instagram post, “No matter how hard they try, the city can’t erase the memory of Nadir or their own negligence that contributed to his death.”
Residents, including Nadir’s father, say drivers continue to speed through the intersection despite the changes. Some residents believe a traffic light would be the most effective solution.
A permanent traffic circle has been planned for years after funding was secured, but construction is not expected to begin until 2026.
In a previous statement to The LA Local, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation said it “shares the community’s urgency to improve safety on our streets, particularly for its most vulnerable users such as children walking and biking.”
