05 Oct Paseo del Cempazuchitl // Safe Passage Along Cesar Chavez Ave.

For Dia de los Muertos, a commemoration of lives lost to traffic crashes along Cesar Chavez Avenue

 

Paseo del Cempazuchitl Installation:

October 27 – November 3, 2023

Caminata de los Altares: Friday, Nov. 3, 5:00-6:30 pm

Meet at: Alma Family Services, 4701 E Cesar E Chavez Ave.

 

FREE! REGISTER HERE

Paseo del Cempazuchitl 

Paseo del Cempazuchitl is a commemoration of lives lost in traffic crashes and highlights the importance of traffic safety in East Los Angeles in honor of Dia de los Muertos. A portion of Cesar Chavez Ave. through East Los Angeles is among the top 100 roadways in Los Angeles County that have a history of fatal and severe injury collisions. The Paseo is an opportunity for the community to gather and to collectively remember and recognize lives lost, and to reflect on the impact of traffic crashes in East LA.

The Paseo is also an interactive installation that enables community members to mark incidents where they have witnessed or experienced crashes or near misses along Cesar Chavez Ave.

2023 Paseo del Cempazuchitl Installations & Activities

>< Cempazuchitl Trail

>< Marigold Garlands & Informative Medallions

>< Community-Placed Cempazuchitl

>< Commemorative Plaques & Altars

>< Community Altar

>< Culminating Paseo del Cempazuchitl Event: Caminata de los Altares

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CEMPAZUCHITL TRAIL

 

According to Aztec tradition, the dead follow the fragrance of Cempazuchitl (marigolds) to Dia de los Muertos altars or family homes. The Trail consists of plaques and altars that are placed along Cesar Chavez Ave. to mark where lives were lost due to traffic violence in the last decade. The Cempazuchitl Trail also consists of cempazuchitl garlands and informative medallions noting where pedestrians have been hit by cars in the past decade along Cesar Chavez Ave between Humphreys and Mednik.

The Cempazuchitl Trail consists of cempazuchitl (marigold) garlands and informative medallions noting where pedestrians have been hit by cars in the past decade.

 

 

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How to Help Make the Cempazuchitl Trail: 

Traffic crashes are under-reported in communities like East LA. However, traffic crash data is used to make decisions about how to improve street safety and what streets to prioritize. Please help us by adding to the Cempazuchitl Trail by marking locations along Cesar Chavez Ave. where you feel unsafe or have experienced a near-miss traffic crash by placing different colored paper cempazuchitl at the locations. The data for this event will be collected and this effort may be used toward future traffic safety planning efforts along Cesar Chavez Ave.

>< Yellow paper cempazuchitl: Are used to mark locations along Cesar Chavez Ave. where you feel unsafe.

>< Red paper cempazuchitl: Are used to mark places where you’ve almost been hit by a car or witnessed someone else almost get hit.

If you’re interested in participating, please read the guideline found here.

Pick Up Paper Cempazuchitl at These Locations:

• East Los Tacos: 4500 E Cesar E Chavez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90022
• Alma Family Services: 4701 E Cesar E Chavez Ave, East Los Angeles, CA 90022
• El Gallo Bakery: 4546 E Cesar E Chavez Ave, East Los Angeles, CA 90022
• Mystyk Café: 346 N Ford Blvd, East Los Angeles, CA 90022
• Zamora Bros: 4771 E Cesar E Chavez Ave.

 

 

Commemorative plaques to remember and honor the lives of those lost will be placed along Cesar Chavez Ave. near the location of their death. Commemorative Plaques will be placed on October 27th and be up until November 3rd.   

 

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Community Altar 

 

Alma Family Services, 4701 E Cesar E Chavez Ave.

Alma Family Services ​​Community Integration Training (CIT) program participants will help create a community altar. 

Community members and others who wish to honor someone lost to a traffic crash are invited to contribute to the community altar by bringing items to place on it. If you are interested in participating, please read the guidelines found here.

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Culminating Paseo del Cempazuchitl Event:

Caminata de los Altares

November 3rd, 5:00-6:30 pm

Meet at: Alma Family Services, 4701 E Cesar E Chavez Ave, East Los Angeles, CA 90022

Closing Reception: East Los Tacos, 4500 E Cesar E Chavez Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90022

Traditionally, fresh cempazuchitl flowers are used as a guide for the deceased as they make their journey to their family altars in their homes or cemeteries. Please join our journey along the Cempazuchitl Trail on Cesar Chavez for the Caminata de los Altares. The Caminata route will stop by two altars honoring people lost to traffic crashes along Cesar Chavez Ave., giving participants time to pay respect and celebrate their lives.

To register and get further details, please sign up on our EventBrite page by clicking here.

If you have questions contact Shirley Rivera at shirley@publicmattersgroup.com.

 

These events are produced by Public Matters in partnership with:  LA County Public Works,  The Office of Supervisor Hilda Solis, Alma Family Services, Belvedere Senior Center, East LA Runners, East Los Tacos, El Gallo Bakery, Esteban E. Torres High School, Mystyk Café, Oriol Bike Shop.

The Paseo del Cempazuchitl is a part of East LA Moves/El Este Se Mueve, a program sponsored by the County of Los Angeles, through LA County Public Works in collaboration with Public Matters. East LA Moves/El Este Se Mueve aims to build a culture of support for public transportation and active transportation in East Los Angeles for all ages and abilities. 

East LA Moves/El Este Se Mueve is made possible as part of Los Angeles County Public Works’ East Los Angeles Active Transportation Education and Encouragement Program, by SB 1 – The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 through the California Transportation Commission’s Active Transportation Program.