Today is Allie’s 8th birthday. The third one without her.
If you are inclined, please consider a donation to
@WABADC
for Allie’s birthday & note that it’s for DC Families for Safe Streets.
Here she is turning 4 - her Covid birthday. 🩷
@bryan_s_hart
@SafeStreetsDC
The CDC news is so bittersweet for us. We tried SO HARD to keep her safe from COVID while still letting her be a 3-4-5 year old. She asked when she would get her shot. Instead, we lost her to traffic violence. 💔💔💔
This week last year, we told Allie she was going to be a big sister. I should be holding both of my kids right now.
But I’m not. Because we accept a roll as a stop, streets that don’t slow drivers, and zero consequences for anyone except victims like my girl.
6 months ago, I woke up with Allie snuggled in next to me, looked at her sleeping face, and thought, “I love this child so much.” She was killed by a driver 12 hours later.
My last Mother’s Day with Allie. She was 4.
Today I sit here, snuggling the baby brother she never got to meet. She should be cozied up with us, too. 💗💙
Slow down. Make complete stops. Demand better. It matters.
9 months. 💔
Allie should be here. 💔 Should be looking forward to cake for her 6th birthday on Saturday. 💔 Should be finishing kindergarten. 💔 Should be with her brother. 💔
With Thanksgiving upon us, I keep thinking how thankful I am to be Allie’s mom & to have had 5 amazing years with her. I wish we had so many more. I’m also thankful for the support we’ve received as we grieve & as we fight for safe streets. A long 🧵I hope you’ll read.
Reason
#1
to prioritize
#Infrastructure
that makes streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, that gets more people out of cars: our kids. Because I promise you, knowing that your child’s bed will forever be empty due to traffic violence is 💔.
@USDOT
@DDOTDC
When Allie was struck & killed, our lives changed. Forever. We’ll never sleep w her nestled between us again. Or watch a sunset while eating s’mores. She deserved so much more. We all deserve safe streets & leaders with the political will to make it happen.
#WDoR2021
#VisionZero
I’m not usually one for resolutions, but have 2 for 2022:
1. Survive in this world without Allie.
2. Fight for safe streets in DC in the hopes that my daughter’s death is not in vain. Get ready to help. 💗
Allie’s baby brother is here! He brings joy back to our lives; we’re so thankful for him.
This new life has been forever changed by traffic violence. He won’t grow up with his sister, won’t know parents who don’t carry the deepest grief. The price of inaction is too high.
You think you’ll plan parties, buy backpacks, tell stories. You never think you’ll light an ofrenda for your child because someone didn’t look, didn’t make a complete stop.
#DiaDeLosMuertos
I'm testifying at today's hearing on traffic cameras because I am beyond furious at the reckless disregard for lives in our city. More info on the hearing here:
My full statement, with highlights of what I intend to say during my 3 minutes is below.
I still can’t believe that she’s gone, that I’m reading about her in today’s print edition of the Post. I’m so glad to have her story told but more than anything, I miss my daughter. 💔
One month. Since I said “I missed you while you were at school today” and she smiled and said “I missed you, too.”
One month. Since I held her hand in the street, pulled out from the sheet covering her after valiant efforts by
@dcfireems
, and told her I’d miss her forever. 💔
Christmas Eve 2017; Allie in the same dress as a 4-year-old in the pandemic.
Nothing is right. Our lives are not merry or bright.
I wish I had some call to action, some policy to promote. All I have is this: Cherish. Adore. Demand safer streets and vehicle regulation.
Last January: discovering ancient relics. What new discoveries will she miss? She should have had 90 more years (our families have some longevity). Instead, Allison Hart was traffic violence victim 28, just 4 months ago. 💔
“Wrap me up and pick me up like a baby and let’s go show Daddy!” A bath-right ritual for years, even as she got to 40 pounds. 💪🏻
How my arms ache to hold her now. It’s been 3 months.
Allie LOVED Halloween. She died (that hurts to type) on our
#Brookland
DC streets before she decided on this year’s costume: Zootopia’s wild jaguar or wild otter.
It shouldn’t be this way. Streets should be designed for kids to be safe and driving laws should be enforced 365.
Sunday is another birthday for Allie…without her. She’d be 7. 💔
I hope you’ll do something you love, like Allie on bday
#5
: eating ice cream after playing
@YardsParkDC
w/ her only cousin.
I hope you’ll tell someone: 40k people die on US streets every year. Time for change.
Today’s random photo is from Allie’s 5th birthday - her last. I can’t even fathom that she was killed in a crosswalk 2 months and 26 days later. That the photo is today, my birthday, when I get to grow another year older but have to do it without her, is especially devastating.
Last summer, we were sipping smoothies poolside, basking in those last days of summer before Allie started kindergarten.
And then everything changed in an instant. I am devastated by grief. I am incandescent with rage.
#NationalGriefAwarenessDay
5 months. An eternity and an instant.
Keep talking about Allie, abt why slowing down matters, why coming to a full stop matters. Why finding ways to make streets safe for all users matters. Why electing leaders who realize this is a crisis and are ready to act matters.
At the end of 2020 we were playing with new toys, eating the last of the holiday treats, hiking at Great Falls. The end of 2021 feels empty and quiet, filed with dread at a new year that Allie won’t experience. Too many families know this pain.
For the 2nd time,
@bryan_s_hart
& I marked the hardest of days in our new life of hard days: the day Allie was killed by a driver.
What to do on the anniversary of the day your 5-year-old was killed isn’t a normal plan to make for most parents. Here’s part of what we did. 🧵
I 💗 this pic of our girl from her 3rd bday; it captures so much joy.
Allie’s 6th birthday is Sat, 6/18. In honor of this kind, curious, brave, loving girl, I hope you’ll do something you love and think of her. Something that gives you these “best day ever!” vibes.
#AllieIs6
🧵
My 5-year-old was hit and killed in a crosswalk and I haven’t seen a single change on our Brookland streets. How much devastation do DC families have to endure???
If Twitter is done…
It let me share memories, advocate, find other grievers. It brought comfort knowing that Allie is thought of far and wide. I could tell her story.
So thanks for remembering my girl, for fighting to make this world better.
See you tmrw?
Used one of Allie’s glue sticks tonight to make a new sign for the spot where she was killed by a driver 362 days ago. Some of her favorite places & things. Our proud native Washingtonian, lover of splash parks and Legos, playgrounds and ice cream. 💔
I’m…speechless. What about government’s responsibility to install infrastructure that makes it harder for drivers to do these things? What about enforcing consequences for these violations? What about a holistic look at mobility in this city & creative solutions?
@marycheh
Drivers have a responsibility to keep our streets and our kids safe:
❌ Stop speeding
❌ Stop running stop signs & red lights
❌ Stop driving aggressively
❌ Stop using your phone & texting
@POTUS
As a mom whose 5-year-old daughter was struck and killed while riding her bike in a DC crosswalk, this is so disappointing, Mr. President. A kid in front of this monstrosity doesn’t stand a chance.
Tell the world about Allison Hart, taken too soon, a joyful, curious, loving 5-yr-old. A beautiful girl who will never meet her brother. Who would want her mom to fight to make things better. She used say, “it’s not right and it’s not fair.” And it could be any of us. /end
Two boys lost their mother. I lost my daughter. So, so many have lost their loved ones, and for what? So we can park a little closer? Get there faster? Beat the light? Not wait for a bus? Be “comfortable”?
I share Dan’s rage.
“She was supposed to be safe,” Dan Langenkamp said. “And to me, it is absolutely unconscionable that she would be safer in Ukraine than she would be on streets in the Washington metro area.”
My latest column:
And if you’re a driver going “look! That bike/pedestrian didn’t follow the rules!” Stop. Look around. Others ARE following the rules. But in every instance, the likelihood of that bike or pedestrian killing you in your car is zero. Zero. 6/
2 years ago today, Allie was dancing to Zoom school. 13 mo., 27 days ago, you learned abt my daughter as another DC victim of traffic violence.
@MayorBowser
@kenyanmcduffie
what will you do in your next term to make sure that no other child meets this fate?
@SecretaryPete
, too.
Favorite
#wmata
memory: 2.5-year-old Allie waiting for the train with
@bryshart
, looking like a cool city kid, on their old Friday Metro commute to work/daycare. 🚇
No parent should have to endure this devastation. And the truth is: is could have been any of us.
Hold your loved ones close. 💗
Hold your leaders responsible for change.
@MayorBowser
@CM_McDuffie
@DDOTDCDirector
@DDOTDC
I’ve heard from others: Allie has changed how I drive. So: are you still speeding? Rolling thru stop signs? Thinking your car gets priority over peds and bikes? Or not thinking abt others at all? We must think abt the responsibility we assume when we get into any vehicle. 5/
It’s been 8 weeks. The leaves have changed. Fall is here. Allie is still gone.
And 14th NE is still unsafe, just like too many streets across DC.
@DDOTDCDirector
, you heard our pleas. When will we see meaningful action? 4-way stops, cameras, etc?
@marycheh
@CM_McDuffie
@DDOTDC
How about actually installing more stop signs, cameras, and enforcing them NOW??? Our kids can’t wait for another study, more talk. My daughter deserved safer streets and we need them TODAY. 2/2
I am so grateful to
@marincogan
for writing this beautiful tribute to Allie & for sharing the joy that is being her mom.
If you’re mad that we accept traffic deaths as inevitable, speak out! Tell your elected officials! Talk to your neighbors!
It doesn’t have to be this way.
.
@jlrhart
isn’t a professional activist.
Still, she’s committed to doing whatever she can to make sure her daughter isn’t forgotten and that America’s road death crisis isn’t ignored.
Me again,
@NHTSAgov
. I sat at
@USDOT
the day after y’all announced auto emergency braking regs; listened to
@SecretaryPete
& your Deputy Admin talk about what you’re doing to protect vulnerable road users. And then you tweet about helmets?
You owe 40,000+ of us an apology.
Sharing this just because I want the world to see this wonderful face from last October, this amazing girl full of wonder and so much creativity.
@bryshart
and I miss her so much.
It shouldn’t have to be this way.
The debate at the DC Council today: Is it unjust to require drivers to pay fines to keep their driver's licenses, or is it merited to keep unsafe drivers (who are more likely to harm low-income Black residents) off of the roads?
Every parent I know is scared.
I’ve been called strong, brave, advocate.
I’m a mom. My daughter’s life was cut short by needless & preventable traffic violence. I’m distraught. Broken.
No parent should have to fear for their child’s life. No parent should live this tragedy.
Allie’s death has compelled me to advocate for safer streets because I need to believe that something good can come out of our tragedy. I hope it compels you, too. I’ve been asked lately: “How can I help you? What can I do to make our streets safer for kids like Allie?” 2/
Can I just say, KUDOS to this driver. Look at that full stop, behind the line, the inching forward into the crosswalk. If you’re a neighbor, THANK YOU for being so careful (and sorry to creep on you!).
Today, I had the privilege of testifying on behalf of
@SafeStreetsDC
at
@councilofdc
’s
@DDOTDC
oversight hearing.
I am always looking for ways to honor Allie. I hope I did justice to the other victims, incl. the 38 loved ones killed since 2022’s hearing. My testimony 👇🏻
To lose a child is devastating. To lose a child because of a failure of policy & leadership is infuriating.
I’m only 9.5 months into this life and so much of this rings true.
“Ask more of our legislators and less of those grieving.”
As Halloween approaches, I have 1,000,000 thoughts I can’t quite articulate - how much Allie loved it, how incredibly unfair it is that she only had 5 years, how she would be so excited this year as a 6-yr-old.
Streets are safer when cars go slower, streets are narrower, bulb outs make peds more visible, raised crosswalks make it harder to roll thru. When bike lanes are protected & connected. When we ban all right on reds. When we ENFORCE the laws. There is so much more we can do! 20/
So amazed by the turnout for today’s
#chalkin
for Allie. Thank you to our friends, family, and whole community for your support and for making the place of our tragedy so full of love and celebration. Special thx to
@HandlebarsDC
@chalkriot
@riotpedestrian
💗🌸💗
Dying in the street isn’t gentle. It isn’t tidy, or peaceful. There’s no warning, no preparing. It isn’t how any life should end.
Victims of traffic violence don’t pass away - they’re killed.
Thanks to
@byTheresaVargas
for again shedding light on the unimaginable.
One thought keeps coming to me: tell others my family’s story, show my photos. Tell your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors. How my amazing girl died while riding her bike in a crosswalk. She was 5. Our story - HER story - needs to reach beyond the bounds of social media. 3/
This morning’s bicibus was a true gift: a gift to know that Allie is remembered and loved by her community, and a gift to hear her name cheered in kid voices. How she would have loved it. 💗
Thank you to everyone who organized and turned out. We are so grateful.
#all4allie
Today was the
#All4Allie
bicibús at Mundo Verde. Over 100 kids & caregivers turned out: to honor the memory of Allison Hart, killed on her bike in a DC crosswalk 2 years ago; to have a joyous, active, and empowering commute to school; and to advocate for safe streets for ALL.
I’ve been this parent, screaming in terror. In shock. I know too many other parents who have endured this horror.
If you haven’t or don’t know someone who has, you aren’t the norm. You are LUCKY. That’s what we accept on US roads today. Luck.
Just witnessed a 4-year-old girl get pulled out from under a car as her parents screamed in terror.
A woman drove into a light pole on 4th and King, hitting the girl as she walked with her parents.
Please, for the love of God… pay attention behind the wheel and slow down! 💔
Try walking to the coffee shop or store, or going for a bike ride. Does it feel safe to you? Does it feel safe for your kids? Maybe it makes you realize, hey, we can do more to make the streets safe for everyone. 8/
I can tell you what happens: your heart, mind, future, hopes all shatter in an instant. Everything you ever knew, thought, expected is affected.
Think it can’t happen to you? Think again. 💔
Today, we went from celebrating Allie and calling for safe streets, to joining the community of
@TCFofUSA
to mourn our amazing girl. We are shattered. Heartbroken. Overcome with grief.
9/12/21: from the last photos I have of Allie. She worked up the courage to go down the slide, held her breath the whole way. We talked abt how when she was 6 she’d probably be able to go off the diving board.
We need safer streets NOW. 💔
@MayorBowser
@DDOTDC
@DCDPW
Today - UN World Day of Remembrance for Victims of Road Trauma, we remember all of those killed & seriously injured on the roads of the world. We call for support for all of those affected & commit to act to prevent further needless suffering on our roads.
My goal here isn’t to be anti-car; it's to FIGHT LIKE HELL so that families are safe on our streets. So that we can all have freedom of mobility. To highlight how we can do SO MUCH BETTER. 17/
👋🏻
@NHTSAgov
. My 5-year-old WAS wearing a helmet, along with everything else you say to do. It was NO MATCH for the massive transit van with poor sight lines and no emergency systems to protect passengers.
Smaller, lighter, safer vehicles will save lives. Do your job.
Tuesday marks one year since 5-year old Allison Hart was struck and killed in a pedestrian crosswalk in northeast D.C. and many in the community say the street is still unsafe.
Do you feel safe driving? Or are you seeing the same aggressive driving that I regularly see? Speeding, running stop signs, cars going around stopped cars that are too impatient to wait for their turn at the intersection? Does it feel like a free for all, with no enforcement? 10/
Today, we joined 21 WABA supporters in matching your gift to
@WABADC
up to $35,625. That means $71,250 for safer streets across the DC region. Ever since Allie was killed on her bike,
@WABADC
has been a huge support to us.
Join us in Allie's memory:
And yes, many are injured or die in cars, but mostly, the tons of steel around you protect you from death. It’s pedestrians and cyclists that are suffering the largest fatalities. A car might protect you from death, but it definitely makes you deadly. 7/
Here are the latest crash injury stats from Linda Bailey
@DDOTDC
(she's presenting on an
@AgeFriendlyDC
meeting tonight. Here's the breakdown of major injuries:
🚲16 bicyclists
🚶♂️82 pedestrians
🚘42 passengers
🚗189 drivers
#visionzerodc
#zerovisiondc
It’s been a month since we gathered in our shades of pink, surrounded by family, friends, and pink flowers, and blew bubbles to our beautiful girl.
What I wouldn’t give to chase bubbles with her again.
As I scroll thru my photos from May 2021, these memories feel like yesterday. Like this, a red tongue from a slushie after picking 🍓 with neighbor friends.
I now scroll 8 months back to find photos of Allie. 💔
May this sweet face and red tongue stick with you this weekend.
I received the most beautiful note today from a neighbor. I’ve been overwhelmed by so much in the past 15.5 months…and overwhelmed in the best way by the kindness of neighbors and strangers.
Thank you. 💗
I’m no expert and I definitely don’t have all the answers to how to fix our broken approach to safe streets in DC or nationally. It’s a crisis. But there are a few things I’ve learned since our nightmare began on Sept 13 worth sharing. 4/
UPDATE on Kaidyn Green who was hit by a car on Wheeler Rd. His mom says through attorney that doctors believe he‘ll be paralyzed from neck down.
She says he had a successful bronchoscopy today & surgery scheduled in Jan. Kaidyn is “alert & aware.” Sending love to this sweet boy.
I think of, yearn for, Allie every second of every day. Don’t just remember the victims of traffic violence; ACT.
@MayorBowser
@councilofdc
, fund safe streets bills now.
I don’t want to hang these signs for more families.
#WDoR2022
People die - Allie died - because we aren’t willing to change our roads and infrastructure. Or regulate vehicle size. Or make changes that protect anyone *outside* a vehicle.
When it comes to their streets, Americans are selfish. Families like mine pay the price.
The same old line: the US has awful road safety b/c of the factors every country faces and not b/c of the design of roads or size of vehicles, which is what differentiates us from safer nations. Nothing changes, people die.
@tkrisher
And until the day when we see the political will to make the decisions that will save lives - and the spine to stand by those decisions - we will continue to experience preventable deaths and unending grief.
One more thing: as I sit here, breastfeeding Allie’s brother, making plans to track down formula this afternoon, on my last full day of mat leave, I think of all the things moms are asked to do.
Advocating for safe streets shouldn’t have to be one of them.
But here we are.
Allie loved singing & music. I would sometimes wake her up with a favorite by
@mountain_goats
"this year." She'd roll over groggily, crack a smile & sing out "I'm gonna make it through this year if it kills me." She didn't, instead she was killed while riding in a crosswalk.
Allie was killed in a school zone. Later,
@DDOTDC
came in w/ a few safety bandaids at the intersection where she died.
Kids shouldn’t have to be injured or killed before real improvements are implemented, especially in places that residents have already identified as dangerous.
The
#SafeRoutesToSchool
Act will require speed bumps, raised crosswalks, crosswalk warning pylons, and other safety measures as the standard for every District school. But there's also nothing preventing the District from implementing these measures before the bill is passed.
@dasmuttiaj
Thank you. We chose to live somewhere where we don’t have to drive that much, and that was one reason. My daughter was killed when struck by a van while riding her bike in a crosswalk one block from our home. It’s starting to feel like our kids aren’t safe anywhere.
We rode our bikes to fatal crash sites to check on some of the signs posted by
@SafeStreetsDC
and left a pink rose. It felt like the right thing to do: to honor Allie by caring for others who suffered the same violence she did.
In the saddest meeting with the most incredible group of traffic safety advocates yesterday,
@Fam4SafeStreets
members shared stories about the impact of car crashes on our lives with
@SecretaryPete
,
@Pollytrott
and other
@USDOT
heavy hitters. Our asks in the 🧵below:
We HAVE to demand ACTION and ACCOUNTABILITY from our local leaders. Talk is cheap. Real, transformative action is hard. Demand that your leaders do the right thing, not the politically easy thing. Write letters, make calls. Show up. Give them praise when you see progress! 19/
42,915 people - children, parents, friends, grandparents, real people - died as a result of traffic violence in 2021. My amazing 5 year old was one of them. When will we stop accepting crashes and make meaningful changes,
@SecretaryPete
@USDOT
???
New crash data for 2021 is out from
@NHTSAgov
and it's atrocious as expected.
"NHTSA projects that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year, a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020."
.
@DDOTDC
: a black Porsche SUV crashed into a tree on 14th NE, picked up the front of his car, and sped off. Just past a 4-way stop, in a school zone. And 2
@DCPoliceDept
cars drove on past. I’m not ok with this. Are you
@marycheh
@MayorBowser
@CM_McDuffie
???
I can’t be there today to demand safe streets in DC…but I do have words that will be shared. Posted here for all to see.
@MayorBowser
, I hope you’ll read.
Thank you to the organizers. I wish we didn’t need to do this. 💔