10 hours ago
‘We need our city safe': Petition to change bridge safety standards across Rochester gains support
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – The search for 5-year-old Zy'Jae St. Pierre, the five-year-old boy who fell into the Genesee River last Sunday, is now in its eighth day.
As the family continues to grieve and process what happened, they're also calling for change to prevent tragedies like this from happening in the future. They've launched a petition which suggests the Andrews Street Bridge be renamed in memory of Zy'Jae and also supports improved safety precautions.
Pastor at the Greater Faith Hope Center Dr. Cynthia Anderson was on the bridge Sunday afternoon and voiced her support for the petition.
'We're here to focus on getting signatures and to put our feet on the ground,' Anderson said.
The petition is being passed around in-person at the bridge and at many churches across Rochester. It also has gained support online.
The primary element in the petition urges city leaders to change the local requirement for the height of barriers and railings across bridges citywide. The city currently follows federal OSHA standards for this, which requires railings be at least 42 inches tall.
Anderson shared why gathering support for this petition is meaningful to her.
'We need our city safe,' Anderson said. 'Some say parents should watch their children, and that is 1,000% true. But children today have a lot going on, families have a lot of dynamics and it's not always easy to have your children right under you.'
Rochester Mayor Malik Evans addressed the concerns mentioned in the petition in an interview Thursday.
'We'll always do a safety assessment where we'll look at what led up to this, and how things can be improved is something that's important,' Evans said. 'I think it's admirable that the community is concerned about families and safety, and we'll go back to see if anything can be done to prevent such a tragedy from happening in the future.'
Dr. Anderson says the family plans to submit the signatures they've gathered so far on Monday morning at City Hall. They plan to continue gathering signatures as the search for Zy'Jae continues.
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