Street roots
tj rn n w
14
May 13,2011
By remembering one we lost, we celebrate those we have
BY ROB SADOWSKY
C O N TR IB UTIN G C O LU M N IS T
n May 12th, the Bicycle
Transportation Alliance and
community partners held a special
tree planting
ceremony to
remember loved
HEALTHY
ones lost on. the
STREETBEAT roadway and
recognize those
Bicycle
who
are
Transportation
committed to
Alliance
creating a safe
environment for
all people on the
road. The event was an opportunity to both
commemorate loved ones who lost their
lives through traffic tragedy and also an
opportunity to celebrate their lives by
showcasing improvements in the street
environment that will prevent future
fatalities.
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance, the
Portland Bureau of Transportation, the
Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
(BES), Friends of Trees, Willamette
Pedestrian Coalition and the Beaumont
Wilshife Neighborhood Association all
cosponsored thè tree planting. The tree is
the first tree planted as part of the Susie
Forest in Portland. The Susie Forest honors
Susie Stephens. Susie was a bicyclist, an
environmentalist, an activist, and a world
traveler. She was dedicated to educating
others about bicyclist and pedestrian safety,
and she was killed in 2002 after being
struck by a bus while legally walking across
the street in Sfe Louis. The Susie Forest is à
living, growing, legacy to Susie and her
commitment to creating livable
communities.
0
Healthy Streetbeat is a
monthly column for
Street Roots written by
the Bicycle-
Transportation
Alliance (BTA). Our
contributors are Rob
Sadowsky, executive
director, and Margaux
Mennesson,
communications
director.
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance
worked with Susie early in our history to
build the organization and is proud to honor
her commitment BTA cofounder and Metro
Councilor Rex Burkholder says, “I
remember Susie’s incredible, radiant smile
and her confidence in the rightness and
inevitability of her work. When we bicycle
and pedestrian advocates felt like tiny
Davids with our knees knocking nervousfy
in front of the indifferent Goliaths of the ,
auto juggernaut, Susie was a bright spot of
vision, can-do-it-ness and indomitable spirit
that brightened up the room and gave hope
to our small band of cranks, dreamers and
wonks.”
When you go by the tree near Going and
33rd Avenue, you’ll see ribbons tied to the
young branches. These ribbons capture fond
memories of loved ones lost in trâgic traffic
fatalities. Stop by, read some of the
messages and add your own to this living
memorial to hope. The Susie Forest is a
project of Susie’s mother Nancy McKerrow,
a resident of Spokane, Washington. I made
a personal commitment to Nancy last
August to plant a Susie Tree in Portland and
was excited to have Nancy came down for
the tree planting bringing her special little
Peppernut cookies aptly, renamed Tree-
Kibbles to pass around.
Each tree planted is a reminder that life
goes on and starts anew, and except for the
two trees planted every year on Susie’s
birthday and the anniversary of her death,
every tree planted in The Susie Forest is
associated with someone else. Whether it is
to celebrate the birth of a newborn or a
special anniversary, as a memorial for
someone else taken too soon, or to
celebrate a reading program at a local
library or school, each Susie tree is deeply
rooted in personal connection. There have
been more than one hundred Susie trees
planted so far. Want to plan your own tree,
learn more about Susie Trees and the Susie
Forest at www.susieforesfecom.
The event was also an opportunity to
honor one of our local champions, Steph
Routh? the Executive Director of the
Willamette Pedestrian Coalition. Steph
recently won the Susie Stephens Joyful „
Enthusiasm Award from the natidnal
Alliance for Biking and Walking. Steph has
that same radiant smile and confidence in
the .rightness and inevitability of her work.
“Susie Stephens was a remarkable,
energetic, and strategic advocate for biking
and walking and one of the pioneers of our
movement,” Jeff Miller, Alliance for Biking ,
and Walking President/CEO, said.
“Everyone who knew Susie remembers her
contagious enthusiasm. Bicycle and
pedestrian advocates face daunting
challenges with limited resources, but,
inspired by unforgettable leaders like Susie,
we have a passion and commitment that
prevail. The Alliance celebrates this energy
by annually recognizing a leader who
exemplifies Susie’s enduring spirit and joy.”
Steph embodies Susie’s joyful enthusiasm
in spite of the daunting task she has at work
fighting to save lives and make the region
safer for pedestrians. The Willamette
Pedestrian Coalition advocates for better
laws, enhanced enforcement, more
sidewalks and signed crosswalks, education
programs, community improvements
designed for pedestrians, and increased
funding to support these activities. It is
simply more fun, more energetic to work
with leaders such as Steph.
Punish the criminal, but don’t destroy the lives of the family
111
FROM TRE
DESK OF
Ruth Kovacs
ri 1
i
li
H
Ruth Kovacs is a
Portland activist, form er
teacher and the host o f
Prison Pipeline on
KBOO, 90.7fm . She
writes regularly about the
issues surrounding the
millions o f individuals
an d fam ilies affected by
the U.S. prison system.
and estranged relationship with her mother-
A nother Mother’s Day has come and
I \ gone. This year, again, I went through in-law, who was caring for the children,
prevented her from having contact
X JLthe usual yo-yo feelingsthat come
FPP staff wdrked hard to convince the
with that day for me. I thought of my
mother-in-law to bring the children to the
mother, who I still miss even though she
Saturday program to see if they would like
passed in 1987.1
wished I could be with i t She was very angry at the mother, who
was in for many counts of identity theft
all three of my sons,
associated with her meth addiction and had
1 but two of them have
seemingly abandoned her children. Of -
passed. It made .
course, the children loved being able to
||
getting together with
spend time with their mother in a
my son Patrick very
supportive learning environment Unlike the
special. Each year
sterile visiting room, the mothers are able
these thoughts bring
to give their children the individual
up many beautiful
attention, support, and nurturing they need.
memories and, yes, a few tears.
The mothers and children can relax and play
Again, I thought, with sadness, of all the
inside and outside without the presence of
incarcerated women at Coffee Creek who
security officers. The children were able to
are mothers. But I managed to find a smile,
rebuild their bond with their mother and
as I remembered a program for mothers
she with them. It took more work for the
that is provided by the Coffee Creek Family
mother to repair her relationship with the
Preservation Program, or FPP.
caregiver and to co-parent effectively from
The mothers in FPP attend adult
prison, but she held strong and let go of the
education and parenting classes and
things she couldn’t control.
participate with their children in interactive
After the mother was released from
literacy activities in a classroom within the
prison, it took about dne year for her to get
correctional facility twice a month.
on her feet All three children are now back
Additionally, the program allows for the
with her and doing well. She is using the
mothers to maintain involvement in the
skills she learned in FPP to advocate for
parenting and education of their children
their special needs. Most importantly, thé
through weekly calls to caregivers, regular
children are being raised by a healthy stable
communication with teachers, and
mother.
participation in parent teacher conferences
If FPP and other programs are eliminated
by phone.
because of budget cuts, stories like this will
But the yo-yo of the day continues
not have such positive endings. Instead
because we all know that many valuable
Mother’s Day will be a day of tears for
prison programs are facing cuts or
many. And the community will have to
elimination at the end of June. And I can
continue to cope with the problems of the
feel the emotion that Coffee Creek mothers
mother and the children.
experience on.Mother’s Day. Here’s a story
Proposed budget cuts to the 2011-2013
about one of the mothers who was in FPP.
The mother applied for the program after budget of the Oregon Department of
Corrections will include the Coffee Creek
not seeing or talking to her three children
Family Preservation Project and many other
for almost one year. She was interviewed
valuable prison programs.
and she explained that the shame and guilt
The Public Safety, Subcommittee of
Ways and Means held public testimony- on
last month and the focus was on programs.
The Center for Safety and Justice organized
many graduates from treatment, cognitive,
parenting and work-based programs to
testify. Among those present was Dave Dahl
from Dave’s Killer Bread, an active
advocate for prison issues that concern
developing a better system. He himself is a
repeat ex-con, now running a wildly
successful business and hiring other former
felons to his shop,
The staff of Coffee Creek FPP will be
visiting the Capitol with alumni mothers and
caregivers to speak to our legislators,
hoping to again save their program. But
they need help and you can participate. You*
can Bend a quick form to safetyandjustice.
eactionmax.com/takeaction.asap?aaid=5248.
Or, send an email, that is a personalized
letter, or telephone if you have time. Here’s
the link to find your legislators: http://www.
leg.state.or.us/findlegisltr/
For help or more information you can
contact Partnership for Safety and Justice at
503-335-8449.
Your help and support will be appreciated
by all concerned. Preserving effective prison
programs reduces recidivism which
humanizes all of us, saves tax money and
makes our community safer and more
productive.
When the system “punishes” criminals,
does it really make sense to destroy the
lives of everyone in their family? And when
it is time for their release (more than half of
the incarcerated folks are eventually
released) isn’t it better to have a person in
our community who has let go of the
addiction and life of crime, and now pursues
values that contribute to our community?
Those proposing the budget cuts just
don’t seem to get i t