One of the ways that comedian Tony Baker is channeling his grief is by attempting to make a positive change. The father has begun a petition to get a street racing ban in place, and it is circulating on social media.
On August 2, Tony Baker lost his son in a street racing accident. His son, Cerain, and two of his friends were hit by a racing car. All three of the young adults were killed.
View this post on Instagram
Now, Baker is making good use of his grief and trying to get the city of Burbank to take the street racing problem seriously.
Back in 2018, the Los Angeles Times printed an expose on the problem of street racing. At the time, they found that the actual racers are not the most often killed. Instead, innocent passengers, motorists, spectators and pedestrians make up the lion’s share of deaths. Such was the case with Baker’s son.
Burbank is one of several cities nationwide where street racing has become a real problem. Houston and Dallas are both battling the issue. However, many of these cities have their hands tied to clamp down on the dangerous pastime. A ban is hard in jurisdictions where the laws on street racing are vague.
The petition that Baker is sharing began slow, but after a second Instagram post making a clarion call, there are now over 82,000 signatures out of a desired 150,000. The petition proposes several action items: increased police presence during late night and early morning hours and speed bumps.
The petition is directed at Burbank Mayor Bob Frutos and was started by Karla Mendez. Baker was one of the first signers and left a comment that read, “My Son & His Friends Lost Their lives on August 3rd due to wreckless racing. You BEST BELIEVE IM SIGNING THIS!.”
The death of Tony Baker’s son and his friends is still being investigated, and charges still have not been filed.
