2019: Remembering Aidan Tam and Phillip O'Neill

Editor’s Note: The following pieces were originally written for our May 28, 2019 newsletter. You can subscribe to that newsletter here.

Remembering Aidan Tam

Five years ago this month, a turning driver hit and killed 7 year old Aidan Tam in Pasadena. His family was forever changed. Aidan loved boba, and today, #Boba4Aidan honors his life and everyone impacted by preventable traffic deaths.

To raise awareness, SoCal Families for Safe Streets and Los Angeles Walks ask you to enjoy a boba drink this Friday, May 31, and post it on social media with the hashtags #Boba4Aidan, #Stop4Aidan, and #CrashNotAccident.

PasCSC plans to leave a commemoration in Aidan’s honor at the intersection of Hill Ave & Colorado Blvd on the evening of May 31. (Please see our Facebook page for additional details when they are posted). All are welcome.

Remembering Phillip O’Neill

Phillip O’ Neill would have been 31 this year. His death on Pasadena’s streets six years ago this June 15 ripped a hole in the lives of his family and friends that has never completely healed. Like so many families of the tens of thousands of victims of traffic violence in America every year, their lives go on, but they bear witness to the pain of loss.

Phillip’s death—like that of so many victims of traffic violence—was unnecessary and most likely preventable with safer road design that lowers motor vehicle speed and creates safe space for people on bikes and on foot. The stretch of Del Mar where he died remains unimproved and dangerous for bike riders and pedestrians, as do many other streets in Pasadena.

The death of Phillip O’Neill and others in Pasadena was a major motivation behind the formation of the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, and every June 15 we rededicate ourselves to the task of making Pasadena’s streets safer and healthier for all. We will not forget and we will not be silent. Join with us as we continue the fight for safe streets for all.

-tribute written by John Lloyd