Photo Credit: YouTube / City of Minneapolis / Speaker Jana Williams
(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.) – Those affected by recent domestic violence incidents in Minneapolis received floor time as the City Council passed honorary resolutions for Día de Muertos and Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October) at the regular meeting of the Minneapolis City Council on October 27.
Speaker Jana Williams, aunt of domestic abuse victim Allison Lussier, said Allison’s story isn’t unique but part of a deeply rooted issue in systems meant to protect victims: “Victims beg to be heard. Families raise the alarm, and yet they are ignored, dismissed, or failed by the institutions that are supposed to stand between them and harm.”
Williams emphasized that Indigenous women and other women of color experience disproportionately high rates of domestic violence and rarely see justice. She then reiterated that those left behind need to fight for their loved ones, saying:
“We must hold our institutions accountable when they fail. We must stop treating the suffering of indigenous women and all [domestic violence] victims as though their lives are not important, and [remember] responsibility doesn’t end when a victim is no longer here to tell their story. When someone loses their voice, that is when we must become louder.”
Photo Credit: YouTube/ City of Minneapolis/ Speaker Simone Samuels October 27
Simone Samuels, sister of victim Mariah Samuels, echoed her passion regarding the mishandling of domestic abuse cases, urging all those in attendance at the meeting to remember both the victims and those they leave behind, stating, “Taking every single step and being failed, somehow, by the city you lived in your whole life is not acceptable.”
She continued, reiterating that all human life matters, regardless of where you’re at in society, and that victims deserve to be treated like human beings and receive justice. Samuels said, “You don’t deserve to live your last days in terror, knowing you had called upon people who gave an oath to protect you and were still not saved.”
Samuels then addressed the council and all attendees directly, “Yes, you care about the name of my sister and Allison Lussier, but think about the names that have never come to the surface. All the families who suffer in silence.”
If you or a loved one is suffering domestic violence, reach out for help. The National Domestic Abuse hotline is available 24/7 and offers chat, call, and SMS support in multiple languages, including Spanish. Call (800) 799-7233 or text BEGIN to 88788.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at kristin.h@lead4earth.org.
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