On the night after Christmas, mourners gathered on the Upper East Side of Manhattan for a vigil to remember the lives lost in a Christmas Eve tragedy.
Delivery worker Taurino Rosendo Morales and construction worker Delfino Eduardo Maceda were killed on Dec. 24 when a box truck mowed them down on East 61st Street and Third Avenue. In one fell heartbreaking swoop, the holiday cheer was dashed for the friends and loved ones of those who perished in the pre-Christmas accident.
Assembling at the site of the incident on Dec. 26, the Worker’s Justice Project and Families for Safe Streets joined together after dusk on Dec. 26 for a candlelight vigil in order to celebrate lives lived and grieve lives taken far too soon.
Photographs of the recently deceased men were strapped to a streetlight, nestled amidst several bouquets of flowers. Creating a massive human circle around the makeshift shrine, those who knew the men and advocates demanded justice by calling for safer streets for those who not only work on the roads but also for those who live beside them.
Outgoing City Council Member and incoming Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez also joined the vigil to offer his condolences.
“The lives of delivery workers should have the same value of a doctor doing a surgery in the hospital. The lives of delivery workers or pedestrians have the same of value of an elected official or a CEO of a big company. We are New York City. We are a city of compassion for everyone,” Rodriguez said.
In addition to sharing his sorrow for the men lost to the ages, he also released a statement prior to the vigil pledging to make a difference in what he calls a pandemic of crashes.
“Over half of all crashes happen at intersections. I will be working closely with mayor-elect Adams to ensure we are all investing federal infrastructure funds to improve and redesign our city’s most dangerous intersections,” Rodriguez wrote. “As the Chairman of the Transportation Committee, I have worked with countless shareholders to ensure we our making our streets as safe as can be, 2021 has been one of the deadliest years in recent memory for pedestrians and cyclists on our city’s streets. Over 130 pedestrians and cyclists have been killed on our roads this year alone.”
