Visual Justice March for Deona Marie & Winston Smith in Uptown Minneapolis

A march for justice took place in Uptown Minneapolis, honoring Deona Marie and Winston Smith. The crowd, estimated at around a thousand people, carried signs with portraits of Marie and Smith. The march concluded with a candlelight vigil at Lake and Girard, the site where Deona Marie was killed. On June 13, 2021, 31-year-old Deona Marie Knajdek was killed when a driver accelerated into a group of demonstrators gathered in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood during ongoing protests over the killing of Winston “Boogie” Smith Jr. Protesters had blocked the intersection of West Lake Street and Girard Avenue with vehicles and barricades when Nicholas Kraus drove a Jeep Cherokee into the crowd at high speed, killing Knajdek and injuring several others. Kraus was later charged with second-degree murder, two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and criminal vehicular operation. In 2023, he pleaded guilty to murder and assault charges and was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for the attack.