A neighbor who got tired of stepping around the same broken sidewalk, and decided to turn the fix into something the whole block could be proud of.
Trevor Damyan founded Sidewalk Stories LA in 2026 and serves as its CEO and Board President. He lives in Fairfax / Mid-City West, the neighborhood where the organization’s first pilot panels are planned.
For months, Trevor passed the same lifted sidewalk panel near his apartment. Then he started seeing them everywhere: blocks where tree roots had pushed the concrete up, and asphalt patches left behind in place of real repairs. When he looked into who was supposed to fix them, the answer was complicated. Property owners are technically responsible, many cannot afford the repair, and the City’s backlog is measured in years.
So he asked a different question. If a panel is going to be repaired anyway, what if the repair became a moment for the neighborhood? Local kids could design it with a teaching artist, a licensed crew could build it, and the finished sidewalk could be both safe and beautiful. That idea became Sidewalk Stories LA.
Trevor brings a decade of experience in structured finance and project formation to the work. He built the organization’s pilot budget and financial model, recruited its founding board, and leads its City coordination, fundraising, and partnerships.
“I walk these blocks every day. If we are going to fix a broken sidewalk anyway, the kids who live on that street should get to put their mark on it. A safer walk, and a piece of art they can point to for years.”
Trevor Damyan
Trevor recruits Meredith Reed and Jim De Vico to the founding board, and sidewalkstoriesla.org goes live.
Articles of Incorporation are filed for a California nonprofit public benefit corporation. The art approach shifts to flush, slip-resistant colored concrete so every panel stays easy to walk and roll on.
The Statement of Information is approved by the Secretary of State, the federal tax-exempt application is submitted to the IRS, and the first pilot site in Fairfax / Mid-City West is identified.
Secure the required City permits, confirm the licensed crew and teaching artist, and build the first panel with neighborhood youth.
Trevor is meeting with neighbors, funders, local businesses, and teaching artists as the pilot takes shape. If you care about safer streets and youth arts in Los Angeles, he would love to hear from you.