The 1993 murder of 15-year-old Louis D. Brown inspired his mother to start the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute the following year.
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The message of Homicide Watch is simple: Mark every death. Remember every victim. Follow every case.
What started in Washington, DC, has now moved to other cities across the country including Boston. Homicide Watch Boston is a partnership with Northeastern University where student journalists work to shed light on the people and stories that might not otherwise receive news coverage.
This video features Homicide Watch Co-Founder Chris Amico along with Dina Kraft, the associate coordinator of the Media Innovation program at Northeastern’s School of Journalism.
Evelyn Tobin is a former board of directors chair for The Garden of Peace, a memorial in Boston dedicated to victims of homicide who have a connection to Massachusetts.
Tobin’s daughter, Kathleen Dempsey was 31-years-old when she was murdered in her home in Lexington in August of 1992. The Garden of Peace was dedicated in 2004.
Ten years later, there are more than 900 names engraved on stones in the garden’s dry riverbed and along the walls surrounding it. It is a visual reminder of the impact of violence on hundreds of families in Massachusetts.
This is the story of Clarissa Turner, a mother in mourning whose 24-year-old son Marquis was murdered in 2011. Marquis was shot in the back of the head and found lying on a street in Boston.
“My tomorrow never came,” Turner said.
Through her own grief, Clarissa discovered a way to help other families cope with the tragedy of homicide. She founded Legacy Lives On, a support group for parents and other family members who have lost a loved one in this horrific way. The group focuses on bringing awareness to how families are being affected by street violence.
Through Legacy Lives On, these families have begun to find hope, something so valuable for their journey through the grieving process.
