Makeshift memorials

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Minneapolis, MN, USA — This memorial, located at the intersection of 35th Street and 18th Avenue South in Minneapolis, is for Ethan Johnson. The 37-year-old University of Minnesota research associate was killed in a hit-and-run car crash on September 20, 2010. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Minneapolis, MN, USA — Ethan Johnson was less than two blocks from home when a driver ran a stop sign at 60 mph and broadsided his car. The memorial to Johnson is built on rubble left by the fatal crash. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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St. Paul, MN, USA — Friends of Joe Anthony Rivera gather around a memorial for the slain 21-year-old on Oakley Avenue in St. Paul. Rivera was shot and killed after leaving a party on September 26, 2010. Rivera's friend Gordon Jans says he "still can't believe this really happened. This can't be real. He was the best guy. So if people walk by and see this memorial and ask about him, that's one more person who will know about him." (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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St. Paul, MN, USA — Candles and flowers, hand-written notes and a stuffed dog surround a tree on the St. Paul street where Joe Anthony Rivera was shot and killed. A criminal complaint says the shooting possibly stemmed from an argument over a cell phone. An autopsy showed Rivera was shot seven times. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Minneapolis, MN, USA — This family garage, located near Bloomington Avenue and 41st Street in Minneapolis, commemorates the life of Sherry Williams. Williams was shot and killed by a friend. Her death was ruled accidental, but was charged as manslaughter. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Minneapolis, MN, USA — A bus stop bench on Broadway Avenue in Minneapolis memorializes Annshalike Hamilton. The 15-year-old's body was found in the garage of a boarded up house. The medical examiner concluded that Hamilton died of blunt force trauma. Her death also resulted in the death of her unborn child. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Minneapolis, MN, USA — Deflated balloons hang on a fence outside the location of a deadly fire on Lake Street in Minneapolis. Six people died as a result of a fire that broke out in the apartments above McMahon's Pub. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Minneapolis, MN, USA — Six people died in a fire above a Minneapolis tavern in April, 2010. Artificial flowers and stuffed animals rest outside the burned building nearly six months later. (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Minneapolis, MN, USA — Gilda Maxwell prepares to light a candle at a makeshift memorial for her friend Christopher Roy de Ronde. The 21-year-old was shot to death near 30th Street and Colfax Avenue in north Minneapolis on September 17, 2010. "He wasn't a big guy," says Maxwell. "If someone wanted to rob him or something, they could have just hit him or held him down. Why did they have to shoot him?" (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo

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Minneapolis, MN, USA — Christopher de Ronde was shot and killed near this tree at the intersection of 30th Street and Colfax Avenue North in Minneapolis. Area residents who didn't know Chris say they light the candles at this homemade memorial when they go out. "The news just keeps saying he was the 34th person shot this year in Minneapolis," says Gilda Maxwell, a friend of the deceased 21-year-old. "He's more than that. He was a great person. He was a dad. A great dad." (MPR Photo/Nikki Tundel) link to this photo