Advocates remember 25 Minnesotans killed in connection with domestic violence

Family, friends and advocates gathered in St. Paul Friday to remember 25 people killed in connection with domestic violence last year.

Violence Free Minnesota, a coalition of groups working to end domestic violence, puts on the event every year to commemorate Minnesotans killed the year before.

Visitors walked through an exhibit of hanging T-shirts, each adorned with the name of someone killed.

“I’m happy that people show up, but I’m sad that people show up, because we shouldn’t have this kind of event, especially when this domestic violence and the homicides were 100 percent preventable,” said Guadalupe Lopez, the executive director of Violence Free Minnesota. She welcomed attendees in front of a screen displaying names and photos of victims.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan said hearing people share their experiences has been helpful for her. Flanagan grew up witnessing domestic violence at home. She thanked advocates at the event for their work.

“I know that your loss is unimaginable, and your presence here is a powerful reminder of the hope that will forever live on in those who commit themselves to violence prevention efforts and the prevention of future tragedies,” Flanagan said. “These spaces matter, and telling these stories matters.”

Thirteen people on the list were killed by a current or former partner. Ten were bystanders or intervenors. That included eight-year-old Amir Harden and three Burnsville police and first responders who were responding to a domestic violence report.

This year, Violence Free Minnesota also started tracking deaths suspected, but not confirmed, to be connected to domestic violence. They listed two such cases.

Among them was Allison Lussier, an Indigenous woman who was found dead in her Minneapolis apartment last February. She had reported domestic violence to police several times, including just days before her death.

Lussier’s sister Tiffany Jackson came to the memorial to honor her, wearing a bright red t-shirt that read “no more stolen sisters on stolen land.”

“I looked up to her and I followed her around, even when she didn’t want me to,” Jackson said. “She had the best humor, and she just loved to crack jokes. And she was just so friendly. She had lots and lots of friends ever since we were little.”

Speakers at the event highlighted recent steps forward, too. State Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview, noted recent state funding for victim services, the new domestic violence and firearms task force, and the creation of the offices of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives and missing and murdered Black women and girls.

She said more work is on the horizon — and she called on the public to spread awareness and help victims in their own lives, too.

“While we can do a lot through policy, we cannot do everything that is needed,” Moller said. “It takes all of us, collectively, whatever our role, to stand up against a culture that perpetuates intimate partner violence.”

The coalition will release its full 2024 report in the fall.

If you or someone you know needs to talk to an advocate, call Violence Free Minnesota’s confidential domestic violence hotline Minnesota DayOne at: 866-223-1111.

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