HILLSBORO, Ore. — On a hot Saturday afternoon, dozens gathered in Hillsboro to remember Joe Brausen.
"Every day I walk by his empty room," said his mother, Sarah Brausen. "Every day I walk by all of our memories."
The 12-year-old was a sixth grader at Lincoln Street Elementary School when he was hit by a car and killed while riding his bike in February. Hillsboro police said the driver stayed on scene, cooperated with investigators and was not charged.
"You take three seconds to not pay attention and you’ve taken someone’s life," said Brausen.
Family, friends and community members met at Southeast 10th Avenue and Southeast Gumleaf Lane, the spot where Joe was killed. They came together for a memorial bike ride and rode to Lincoln Street Elementary. The 12-year-old was headed to the school basketball courts the day he lost his life.
"Joe wasn’t doing anything wrong, he was taking care of himself, and he was going out to play basketball like any 12-year-old should be able to do," said Noah Langenwalter.
Langenwalter helped organize the memorial ride. He's part of a community biking group in Washington County called Ride West Side.
"I do connect to this as a dad, as a father," he said. "I want my kid to be able to have an independent childhood like I had. I biked around to friends' houses."
After the ride, bikers and walkers installed a white 'ghost bike' in honor of Joe. It sits chained to a pole near the spot where Joe was hit.
While the memorial bike is meant to honor Joe's life, Brausen said she hopes it will also serve as a reminder to every driver who passes by, to slow down and be more aware.
"It needs to be safer; we all deserve to see our kids at the end of the day. I don’t get to see mine," she said. "This is still a community, and we still need to watch out for each other."
For Langenwalter and Bike West Side, Joe's death is emblematic of a much larger problem.
"We only have so much space for our transportation system, and we dedicate so much of that to cars," Langenwalter said. "I think that conversation needs to be had but today is more about Joe and how we remember him."