Minneapolis, MN
Five Minnesota families were forever changed by a car crash in South Minneapolis
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — It’s a day the Gesaade family will never forget.
Sitting in their Brooklyn Center home, Sahra’s five siblings and father remembered her life.
“Every night I feel pain,” her father Liban Gesaade said.
Sahra was in a car with her four best friends: Sabiriin Ali, Salma Abdikadir, Sagal Hersi, and Siham Adam.
They were getting henna tattoos and running errands for a friend’s wedding happening the following day.
They were blindsided and killed by a speeding vehicle on Lake Street.
Investigators say Derrick Thompson was behind the wheel.
He’s facing charges not only for the tragic crash, but for fentanyl possession and a gun police say they found inside the rental SUV.
“I can’t personally get over anything until I know for a fact justice has been served,” said Hana Gesaade, Sahra’s older sister.
Until that happens, Hana said her family is leaning on their Muslim faith.
“It’s a lot of praying, making dua and hoping for the best,” Hana said.
Not only for her sister, but her best friends who lost their lives too.
Through the pain, a glimmer of hope for the straight A student’s family.
A scholarship in her name.
“It’s Sahra’s scholarship,” her sister Rukia smiled. “It’s something that means a lot to us, and I hope it means a lot to them to.”
Her brother Hanad Gesaade remembers the event the family attended at University of Minnesota-Rochester — where Sahra attended — and was touched by the support his sister received by faculty and friends.
Another brother, Cabdifitax Gesaade, said it was fitting because Sahra was the person always on him to be on top of his schoolwork. When asked what he would say to his sister if he had the chance, he paused, smiled and said, ‘I wish I could show her my high school diploma’.
Sahra meant so much to her siblings and her presence is missed, but the family finds comfort knowing the legacy she leaves behind.
Sitting on the couch after the interview, they flipped through pictures of Sahra and smiled as they remembered on the good times they had.
It’s the little things that get the Gesaade family through the tough days as they continue to move in a world without their hero in it.
This scholarship means a lot to the family because Sahra had won a scholarship herself — to attend Rochester for a Health Science Degree. They’re hoping to raise $10,000 on Give to the Max Day in November.
Minneapolis, MN
Art therapy helping with holiday stress
While the holidays can be stressful, there are beautiful ways to help ease that stress and bring families together. An art studio in south Minneapolis focuses on art therapy and brings people together for collaborative art projects that cater to a variety of people. Heart Space owner Maddie Johnson shared her creative ideas with Leah Beno on FOX 9. More information can be found here: https://www.heartspacetherapy.org/
Minneapolis, MN
North Minneapolis community mourns women killed in crash
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Minneapolis, MN
‘They’re in good hands': Balloon release honors north Minneapolis crash victims
Dozens wept and embraced before releasing scores of balloons Saturday over north Minneapolis to remember two community pillars who were killed in a fiery car crash.
The crowd gathered near 26th and Emerson avenues to remember Esther Jean Fulks, 53, and Rose Elaine Reece, 57. They died on Dec. 16 when Teniki Latrice Elise Steward, 38, allegedly drove through a red light and struck their vehicle. A teenager waiting at a nearby bus stop also was injured.
Fulks and Reese “gave their love and their hard work and dedication to the community. And as you can see, there’s people out here for them,” said Fulks’ daughter, D’Nia. “I’m going to miss my mom. That was my world, I was with her day in and day out. I was hoping to come home to my mom, and it didn’t happen.”
“It means a lot,” Fulks’ son, Joseph Loyd, said of the neighbors attending the balloon release. “It shows what they contributed to the community and how much they meant to people. Not just their own families, but they touched countless other families and helped people.”
Emmary Thomas places a candle at a bus stop during a balloon release Saturday for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece at 26th and Emerson avenues in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
A memorial of flowers, balloons, candles and pictures on Saturday mark the spot near the site of the crash that killed Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died Dec. 16. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Drakarr Lobley hugs a supporter during Saturday’s balloon release for Esther Fulks and Rose Reece in north Minneapolis. Fulks and Reece died in a crash at the intersection on Dec. 16. Lobley is Reece’s son. (Ayrton Breckenridge/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Family and friends said Fulks and Reece were pillars of the community who treated strangers like family and brought love to those around them. Both had worked as navigators for the Minneapolis Cultural Wellness Center since 1998, helping residents with food, clothing, shelter and other resources.
“They reminded us daily of the transformative power of service, love and cultural connection,” Elder Atum Azzahir, the center’s executive director, said in a statement. “They were not just navigators: They were beacons of hope, guiding people toward brighter futures.”
At the crash scene Saturday, loved ones embraced as they shed tears and shared memories. Anthony Hamilton’s “I Can’t Let Go” played as passing motorists called out condolences and words of support. Caution tape strung from a traffic cone near the intersection fluttered in the wind.
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