NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Abby Lokits has spent months advocating for safer parks and greenways after her sister-in-law Alyssa Lokits was attacked and killed during a run along the Mill Creek Greenway in October 2024.
The effort has resulted in proposed legislation called the Alyssa Lokits Safety Act, which would push state and local leaders to consider safety when designing and maintaining parks and greenways.
Democratic House Rep. Jason Powell, who sponsored the bill, said the legislation would encourage but not require planning around things like visibility, emergency protocols and other safety measures in public spaces.
"We want to make sure that people feel safe and secure when they are using these parks and greenways," Powell said.
Democratic Sen. Jeff Yarbro, who sponsored the bill through the Senate, said Alyssa's family had turned grief into helping others.
"There's an implicit trust that when you're using public spaces that you have the protection that should be inherent in that public space," Yarbro said.
The bill passed unanimously Wednesday in a Senate committee, an outcome Abby Lokits said left her nearly speechless.
"We were told a month ago by Representative Powell that it was pretty likely this would not be passing in the first round, and to have it unanimously passed in committee just now — there is really not alot of words to express how we are feeling," Lokits said.
Lokits said her sister-in-law's legacy is reflected in the effort to protect others.
"It's just unbelievable. It is just so indicative of who she was, it's just so indicative of how much of a problem this is," Lokits said.
A review found the Alyssa Lokits Safety Act would not add any significant cost to state or local governments.
The bill now heads to the Senate finance committee.
Do you have a connection to the Mill Creek Greenway or another park or greenway where you've had safety concerns? We want to hear your story. Watch our full report and share your thoughts with reporter Kim Rafferty at Kim.Rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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