Streets Are For Everyone Means EVERYONE

At Streets Are For Everyone, our mission is simple: improve the quality of life for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers alike by reducing traffic fatalities to zero. This mission does not exclude any Angeleno from our work. We strive to make streets safer for everyone, regardless of their mode of transportation, income, housing status, or immigration status. That means pushing for equitable design, advocating for justice, and demanding infrastructure that protects our most vulnerable neighbors.

Because when we say “Streets Are For Everyone,” we mean everyone.

The ongoing immigrant raids across Los Angeles, including the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops (and now Marines), did not make the streets safer. In fact, they worked to sow fear and discord across our communities.

Long after this current moment of ICE raids is over, our most vulnerable neighbors will continue to live in fear of moving around the city, of taking the bus, or simply walking down the street. 

These raids have created violence in the very communities in which SAFE is working, including Paramount, where we have been conducting walk audits and community surveys to create safer routes to school for parents and students.

Flash-bangs, rubber bullets, and tear gas to disperse crowds do not contribute to these efforts in any way.

Over the past 10 years, SAFE has proudly championed road safety throughout Los Angeles County and California. From advocating for safety improvements along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and the roads of Griffith Park, to confronting traffic violence in Historic South-Central, and Angelino Heights, we commit ourselves to working towards meaningful change.

We continue to press for implementing commonsense policies, such as speed safety programs in cities like Glendale, Long Beach, and Los Angeles.

Our work spans economic and social divides, reflecting the diverse experiences of the communities we serve. With nuance and intention, we strive to uplift the voices of those most directly affected by unsafe streets.

Too often, the people most impacted by dangerous streets in Los Angeles are also those who are least protected by policy, planning, and enforcement systems. Immigrants, particularly undocumented Angelenos, pedestrians experiencing homelessness, low-income families, and essential workers—these are the people who walk, bike, ride buses, and cross streets every day out of necessity. They are the ones most at risk from traffic violence and institutional neglect.

Undocumented people in particular face barriers that many others never have to consider.

They may avoid reporting crashes or unsafe conditions for fear of police involvement, which can impact their very livelihood in this city.

They may lack access to driver’s licenses, insurance, or transit passes.

They are also more likely to live in under-resourced neighborhoods where traffic calming, sidewalks, and safe crossings are scarce.

This is why our fight for safer streets must go hand-in-hand with our fight for equity.

A protected bike lane doesn't mean much if someone doesn’t feel safe riding through their own neighborhood because of racial profiling. A crosswalk doesn't serve its purpose if unhoused people are at risk of criminalization while using it. And a "Vision Zero" plan is empty if it doesn’t acknowledge and address the systemic disparities that make walking and biking more dangerous for marginalized communities.

We must recognize that access to safe mobility and access around the city is a human right. The right to move through our communities without fear—of being hit by a car, harassed by police, or deported—belongs to everyone. 

SAFE calls on city leaders, transportation agencies, and fellow advocates to center the voices of our most vulnerable neighbors in mobility planning. We also call on the wider community to create a larger dialogue built on the foundation of civility and good intentions. We must push our way through this moment of unrest and look ahead to the future of a safer, more accessible, and welcoming Los Angeles for everyone.

Building safer streets means building community and trust. It means creating infrastructure and policy rooted in compassion, not criminalization. It means pushing for investments in neglected neighborhoods and ensuring those investments benefit the people already living there. It means naming and counteracting system norms that allow some to be prioritized over others.

When we say “Streets Are For Everyone,” it’s not just a name—it’s a demand. 

It’s a call to action for all of us to fight for a city where every neighbor has the same right to safety and dignity in public space. 

Because if our streets aren’t safe for the most vulnerable among us, they’re not safe for any of us.