Virginia activist charged with vandalism after drawing crosswalk at intersection

Charlottesville safety campaigner used chalk to draw crossing near intersection where woman was fatally hit by car

After officials in Charlottesville, Virginia, reportedly ignored his pleas to implement a pedestrian crosswalk at a dangerous intersection, traffic safety activist Kevin Cox drew a crossing with chalk.

Authorities responded by covering Cox's handiwork with black paint and charging him with vandalism in a case that evidently demonstrates how acrimonious relations can sometimes get between local government bureaucrats in the US and those who say they are trying to hold them to account.