About Families for Safe Streets PDX

Portland Families for Safe Streets is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving road safety and supporting victims of road-traffic violence.

Nearly all members of Families for Safes Streets have lost loved ones to or have been directly impacted by road traffic violence. We advocate for safe streets in a variety of ways, including working with local and state leaders, supporting life-saving legislation, critiquing roadway design, and more.

Whether you have been directly impacted by road violence or an ally to the road safety movement, you are welcome to join our community of advocates.

Mission

Portland Families for Safe Streets advocates for life-saving changes throughout our transportation system that will prevent crashes.

History

Families for Safe Streets was founded in New York City in 2014 by families of loved ones who were killed or injured in crashes. The early success in New York City showed the power of grassroots advocacy to create life-saving change.

As FSS won major legislative and policy victories in New York, other local advocacy organizations took notice, asking how they could establish an FSS chapter.

The Portland chapter was founded in 2015. When Kristi Finney-Dunn's son Dustin, killed by a drunk driver in 2010, learned about the New York chapter of Families for Safe Streets and reached out to local safe streets advocates. With support from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance, Oregon Walks and PBOT, Finney-Dunn connected with Susan Kubota, David Sale, and Kim Stone to found a chapter in Portland. Families for Safe Streets is now a national organization with chapters all across the country.

Board of Directors

Michelle DuBarry, Board Chair: In 2010, Michelle's husband Eric and their one-year-old son Seamus were struck by a careless driver in a crosswalk. Eric survived, but Seamus died the following day. In 2019, she initiated and passed a Made Whole Statute in Oregon, which protects victims and survivors of car crashes from predatory insurance practices. She has published numerous essays about grief and loss, as well as op-eds advocating for policy and infrastructure changes to prevent other children and families from suffering similarly. More information about Made Whole legislation and links to her published work can be found on her website.
Ted Beuhler, Secretary
Sarah Risser, Treasurer: In January of 2019, Sarah and her son Henry set off from St. Paul, MN for the upper peninsula of Michigan to ski for a few days. Near Spooner, Wisconsin a negligent driver crossed the centerline and struck their vehicle head on. Henry, who was behind the wheel took the brunt of the impact and died at the scene. Sarah was injured in the crash but survived. Sarah moved from Saint Paul to Portland in 2022.

Projects

Memorials

Portland Families for Safe Streets honors road-traffic victims in numerous ways. In addition to our growing on-line memorial, we place signs at crash sites and install ghost bikes.

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

Each year, on the third Sunday in November people gather in cities around the world to acknowledge the widespread suffering inflicted on road-traffic victims, their families, and communities. This global, UN-sponsored Day of Remembrance supports road-traffic victims and provides an opportunity to demonstrate the enormous scale and impact of road violence and call for coordinated action to stop the needless violence.

FSS-PDX organizes the Portland WDOR event each year. Contact us at info@PDXFSS.org to learn more and get involved.

Contact Us

We welcome email at info@PDXFSS.org.

Join our email list for information on upcoming events and opportunities. We anticipate one or two email messages per month.

Donate

Your tax-deductible donation ensures we can more effectively advocate for safe streets and provide support to those directly impacted by traffic violence.