“This event has helped us heal, and it’s also helped the world heal.” - David Sale, Families for Safe Streets Portland board member
On Sunday, November 16, dozens of people gathered at Luuwit View Park to commemorate the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. This is an annual event created to memorialize all those who have been impacted by serious and fatal traffic crashes around the globe. Community members were invited to share names and stories of loved ones who died on our streets from traffic violence and to call for policy changes that can make our streets safer.
It is no coincidence that this event was held in East Portland. Year after year, District 1 residents experience much higher-than-average traffic crashes. Last year alone, 47% of traffic deaths occured in East Portland according to the most recent Annual Deadly Traffic Crash Report.
Sarah Risser, one of the event organizers from Families for Safe Streets Portland, shared this: “What I think a lot of survivors of traffic violence experience is a secodary trauma. You live through the trauma of losing your loved one, and then you realize that the justice system isn’t really set up to respond in a way that feels just… I remember feeling this secondary trauma after losing Henry.” Sarah’s son Henry Zietlow was killed by a driver who crossed the centerline and crashed into the car that Henry was driving. He was 18 years old.
Risser went on to describe why Families for Safe Streets Portland is advocating for Oregon to adopt Intelligent Speed Assistance legislation, which helps drivers maintain safe speeds. “Speed determines whether our roads are safe, or whether lives will continue to be lost or forever changed.” The vast majority of serious or fatal traffic crashes in Portland occur on High Crash Corridors — a list of 30 streets with four or more lanes and a trend of higher speeds. Speed is one of the largest factors that contribute to traffic deaths.
Intelligent Speed Assistance laws have already passed in New York, Washington, Georgia, and Virginia. House Representative Thuy Tran stated strong support for a similar bill in Oregon and recognized Representatives Dacia Grayber and Mark Gamba, who were also in attendance and signaled support. “We can be sure that Oregon becomes a state that takes that truth seriously,” Rep. Tran pledged.
Portland City Councilors Jamie Dunphy, Candace Avalos, Sameer Kanal, and Tiffany Koyama Lane were also present at this year’s World Day of Remembrance.
Council Vice President Koyama Lane led the charge earlier this year for Portland to recommit to Vision Zero, a program with the goal to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries on our streets. “Your steadfast presence despite the emotional weight you carry is one of the most powerful forces for change. Your perseverance is part of why we continue to push for safer streets.”
Koyama Lane noted how traffic violence has touched her personally. “Traffic violence is something I feel not just as a public official but as a neighbor and as a parent. A few blocks from my home, our beloved youth librarian, Jenny Diaz, was killed as she sat at a bus stop after finishing her shift at the Belmont Library simply waiting to go home.”
At the close of the event, Families for Safe Streets Portland board member Michelle DuBarry invited people to light a candle for a loved one and to stay active and committed to the cause of ending traffic violence.
This year’s World Day of Remembrance was organized by Families for Safe Streets Portland and supported by Oregon Walks, BikeLoud, 1000 Friends of Oregon, The Street Trust, and the Portland Bureau of Transportation.
