Not One More Death

  • “Not One More Death” memorializes Juan Angel Estrada (1992-2004), Victor Flores (1993-2004), and James Rice (2003-2007). They are depicted holding original traffic safety signs designed by the youth artists.
  • Participants also developed a safety pledge for cars, cyclists, and pedestrians. It states, “I pledge to drive/ride/walk as safely and respectfully in other people’s neighborhoods as I would like them to drive/ride/walk in mine.”
  • Youth artists collected signatures for their pledge, engaged downtown residents in discussion, and gave out stickers and safety guidelines. The sticker (similar to the sign shown) reads “Respect” and was designed by the youth artists.
  • This project was the result of a decade-long lobbying effort by Transportation Alternatives and neighborhood activists for improved safety measures along this corridor. Despite previous pledges from the New York City Department of Transportation, changes were not implemented until after the mural dedication ceremony.
  • During the dedication, Transportation Alternatives volunteers created improvised neckdowns (narrowed intersections), outlines of extended sidewalks, and other traffic calming techniques to demonstrate their effectiveness.
  • The loss of Juan, Victor, and James is a true tragedy. But their young, bright lives were memorialized with a movement that will keep our streets and future children safe.

Project Description

Youth participating in Groundswell’s Summer Leadership Institute created a large-scale mural and developed imagery for a community organizing campaign to reclaim neighborhood streets from sustained traffic-related deaths in Downtown Brooklyn. This campaign, led by Transportation Alternatives, included the creation of “Not One More Death,” a safety pledge/sticker campaign, and the development of a series of original traffic safety signs.“Not One More Death” memorializes three children who were killed by cars along 3rd Avenue. In the mural, a silhouette of an anonymous figure is also present, holding a sign which reads, “Not One More Death.” The combined efforts of the community organizing campaign led to a watershed dedication ceremony in August 2007. Artists, activists, politicians, victims’ relatives, and a New York City Department of Transportation representative all took to the podium under the mural to proclaim “Not One More Death.” DOT Senior Policy Advisor Jon Orcutt commended the mural and announced that construction on traffic calming measures had begun on the 4th Avenue corridor and would be begin the following year along 3rd Avenue. He indicated that community organizing efforts were directly involved in making these changes happen. This collaboration was a major accomplishment for Transportation Alternatives and neighborhood activists, and reinforced the power of art as a tool for social change.

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Project Info

Location: 305 Butler Street Brooklyn, NY 11217

Fun Facts

Research
In 2011, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that, with 237 traffic deaths, the number of individuals killed in traffic-related accidents was at its lowest in nearly a century. More work has to be done, but we are heading toward great progress.
Suggested Activity
Design your own traffic safety sign.
Impact
In one of Groundswell’s greatest achievements, “Not One More Death” created a watershed of action and change. Several government agencies, including the New York City Department of Transportation, committed to implement $5M in improvements to the area.