City cancels memorial street decorations for Dallas activist after open bottle of beer found in wrecked car

DALLAS. Dallas City Council members planned to add ceremonial street decorations to neighborhoods in Oak Cliff to honor a beloved local activist who recently died in a car accident.

But that doesn’t happen anymore.

The activist, Liegea Lopez, 42, died in a car accident on February 6 in Hutchins. It was a head-on collision.

A recently released crash report shows Lopez driving west on Dowdy Ferry Road, crossing a double yellow lane marker and crashing into a second car. The report adds that an open bottle of beer was found in the driver’s seat next to the center console of Lopez’s car.

The report added that the other driver involved in the accident, Lawrence Coleman, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Baylor Dallas Hospital.

“This collision and the death and injury that followed is a tragedy for all the families involved in this event,” City Councilman Chad West said in a statement. “Alcohol has caused too many injuries and deaths on the roads, tragically hurting families.”

West also said that Lopez has impacted the lives of many people over the years and her good deeds will live on in the community.

“Based on the information in the police report and out of respect for Mr. Coleman and his family, Pro Tem Deputy Mayor Omar Narvaez, Councilor Jaime Rezendes, and I will not be promoting the sign honoring Ms. Lopez,” West added.

West, along with council members Omar Nawaez and Jamie Rezendes, earlier in a memo earlier this month requested that signs be added between South Van Buren Avenue and North Adams Street.

“RS. Lopez was always on the move, organizing fundraisers for others and raising awareness of issues that mattered in the community,” the memo reads.