I wanted to take a moment to pause and look back at 2019, which was a brutal year for people walking in Saint Paul. Last year, five people were killed by automobile violence, making it an especially tragic year. For every name here, there were many more people hit and injured by people driving cars whose lives will be changed forever.

Zahra Mohamed, 19

1/4/19 on McKnight Road

U of MN first-year home for winter break who went out for a walk with her friend, also badly injured by the car driver. She had immigrated to Minnesota as a refugee from Somalia after her father had been killed by al-Shabaab terrorists.

Taressa Wilson-Snyder, 22

3/16/19 on Maryland Avenue

Mother of a six-year-old daughter (also shown in the photo). Tire marks were found near the crosswalk, and it was a hit-and-run crash.

Dan Lytle, 54

3/21/19 at Kellogg Boulevard and John Ireland Boulevard

Lived in North Saint Paul and was fond of tattoos, fishing and cooking. He walked with a cane after a motorcycle crash many years before. Grew up nearby in the North End, and was visiting his girlfriend who lived nearby. Had a daughter and two grandchildren.

Lia Lor, 64

5/20/19 at Edgerton Street and Jenks Avenue

A grandmother and member of the Hmong community. She was in the hospital for a month before she passed away from her injuries.

Michelle English, 51

12/5/19 at Larpenteur Avenue and Manton Street

A pacifist with four daughters, one son, and many grandchildren. She had a rich sense of humor and well as close ties to the Red Lake band of Ojibwe. She lived most of her life in Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

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