May 2023 events – DC Families for Safe Streets

Advocacy Opportunity: Letter on Reckless Driving

Members from DC-FSS worked with Virginia Tech Professor Ryan Calder on a letter to the Mayor and the Council on reckless driving. Read more and add your name to the letter by Friday, May 5, 2023.

FSS Cross-Country Support Community Meeting: Sharing Your Story & Caring for Yourself

Thursday, May 4, 2023 at 7pm eastern

Our stories and the emotions that come with them inspire our advocacy and desire to make a difference. Managing these emotions before, during, and after story sharing is essential to your wellbeing and ability to stay the course. FSS Interim Director Tom DeVito and a panel of community members share perspectives and guidance to help you emotionally prepare to share your story at hearings, rallies, and other public events and care for yourself after. RSVP for the Zoom link

And click here for the full calendar of cross-country support events.

Advocacy Opportunity: Meeting with Councilmember(s)

Monday, May 8, 2023 at 12pm at the Wilson Building

DC-FSS will be meeting with member(s) from the DC Council in person at the Wilson Building. Please contact us at DCFamiliesForSafeStreets [at] gmail.com if you’re interested in joining!

Ride of Silence

Wednesday, May 17 at 6:30pm starting across from the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW)

Join community members as we pause during Bike Week to honor and remember those who cannot be here to celebrate with us. Held in hundreds of cities around the world on the 3rd Wednesday of each May at 7pm local time, “the Ride of Silence is a free ride that asks its cyclists to ride no faster than 12 mph … and remain silent during the ride.”

If possible, please wear white. If you would like to be identifiable as having been hit while riding, wear red.

As rideofsilence.org puts it, “Although cyclists have a legal right to be on the road with motorists, [drivers] often [aren’t] aware of these rights, and sometimes not aware of the cyclists themselves.” This ride is a combination of funeral procession and a statement: People on bikes are here, where we have every right to be. We are here and these are our streets, too; we are not going anywhere.

View tentative route and Facebook event for updates/ more information.

DC-FSS Potluck

Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 4pm

Join us for our casual, in-person potluck. Contact us at DCFamiliesForSafeStreets [at] gmail.com to RSVP.

GWU Hospital: Virtual Trauma Survivors Group

Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 6:30pm to 8pm via Zoom

This virtual meeting hosted by the George Washington University Hospital is open to all trauma survivors, family members and loved ones. It is a space where people can connect with other people who have experienced similar circumstances.

SAVE THE DATE: 2023 Washington Region Vision Zero Summit

Wednesday, June 14, 2023 via Zoom

Do you have an idea for a panel discussion or presentation for the 2023 Washington Region Vision Zero Summit? The call for proposals is open and we encourage you to submit! The theme of this year’s summit is Community Engagement and Safe Streets. Summit hosts are especially interested in proposals that focus on the following topics:

How government agencies and organizations can improve community engagement
Balancing community engagement with the urgent need for action
Demystifying DOTs – helping advocates and the community understand who makes the decisions, where to focus advocacy and community energy
As well as sessions that emphasize exciting efforts taking place in the various jurisdictions.