Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Out of Town

Refused by His City, Man Jailed for Painting a Crosswalk

muncie.jpg
Whitney Stump's homemade crosswalk, as seen on Google Maps

Whitney Stump was tired of drivers ignoring stop signs at an intersection in his Muncie, Indiana neighborhood. After futile attempts to get the city to install crosswalks, Stump took matters into his own hands and painted one in at the corner of Dicks and North streets. Then he got arrested.

WRTV in Indianapolis reports:

Stump, a 27-year-old Ball State University graduate student and father,says he was arrested in July on a charge of criminal mischief forcreating the crosswalk at the intersection of Dicks and North streets.A police officer then warned him after he went back to touch up thepaint in August, and the county prosecutor decided to charge him again.

"If they're not going to provide a safe environment for me and my community, then I believe I have a moral obligation," Stump told 6News' Ray Cortopassi on Wednesday.

Stump said he first asked the city to do the job, thinking crosswalks would get drivers' attentions and make them aware they needed to slow down.

"I called the street and sign department probably a half-dozen times in the course of six months (to) a year," he said.

The city of Muncie says the intersection in question doesn't meet the criteria for crosswalk installation because it isn't near a school.

Stump missed a court date after he was charged the second time, which led to a 10-hour jail stint. But he says he plans to paint in additional crosswalks at the other three spokes of Dicks and North.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Friday Video: Amtrak Is Way More Successful Than You Think

Why do so many people still treat Amtrak as a failure — and what would it take to deliver the rail investment that American riders deserve?

October 24, 2025

Hundreds of Community Groups — From the Conservatives to the Socialists! — Demand Daylighting

Two hundred New York City groups from across the ideological spectrum joined calls to ban parking at corners in order to improve safety and visibility, also known as daylighting.

October 24, 2025

OPINION: Canal Street — Not The Vendors — Is the Problem

If Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor — and is true to his vision for a fair, livable city — he will have to take on this long-ignored corridor. Here's how.

October 24, 2025

Vision Zero Cities: Bicycles Are Not Cars So They Shouldn’t Have to Follow the Same Rules

The default in nearly all states is to impose the same traffic rules on bicycles as on motor vehicles even though the needs of cyclists are so different.

October 24, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Today’s the Day Edition

Mayor Adams's new 15 mph speed limit is officially goes into effect today. Plus more news.

October 24, 2025

Cough, Cough: DEP Considers Largest Ever Exemption Request to City’s Anti-Idling Law

Academy Bus claims no technological alternatives exist for heating and cooling buses without idling. Advocates warn an exemption would "gut" the city's 50-year-old idling ban.

October 23, 2025
See all posts