Overview
Each year, hundreds of lives are lost to traffic violence across Los Angeles County.
In 2024 alone, 711 people were struck and killed on our roads. To honor these lives and raise public awareness of the growing traffic safety crisis, Streets Are For Everyone, in partnership with The Emily Shane Foundation, Families for SAFE Streets, the California Office of Traffic Safety, and a host of other community organizations, will be hosting a large-scale public art installation and remembrance event in downtown Los Angeles.
The installation, titled “711 Empty Chairs,” will be a powerful visual and emotional experience.
Inspired by The Empty Chair Club, developed by the Emily Shane Foundation, rows of 711 black chairs, each adorned with a single yellow rose, will represent every life lost to traffic violence in Los Angeles County during the past year.
Families of victims will be invited to participate by writing their loved one’s name on a remembrance card and attaching it to a rose placed on one of the chairs. The installation will serve as a space for both private reflection and public education.
Remembrance and Safety Village
Surrounding the installation, a Remembrance Village will offer a grounding and healing environment that includes:
A quiet reflection area and grief support resources
Information booths hosted by participating organizations
Educational signage explaining the symbolism of the chairs and the broader impact of traffic violence on our communities
This memorial will serve as a striking reminder that every empty chair represents a life cut short—and a call to action for safer streets. Through collaboration, education, and remembrance, we aim to transform grief into advocacy and promote a future where no lives are lost to preventable traffic violence.
Let us Know You’ll be There
If you are a victim of traffic violence or family of someone lost to traffic violence, please use this form.
Otherwise, please fill in the following to let us know you’ll be joining us. Thank you!
Participating Organizations
United to say that traffic violence is preventable:
