The protest demands justice for the victims of Cloquet’s murder – Cloquet Pine Journal
About 50 people gathered on Tuesday, Sept. 8 to demand justice for Jackie DeFoe and her children outside the Carlton County Courthouse.
The “Justice for Jackie” event started with Taysha Martineau, the founder of Gitchigumi Scouts, who wrapped DeFoe’s mother Tammy Finland. In some Indian cultures, wrapping a grieving person in a sense signifies the support and love of the community around him, Martineau said.
DeFoe was found dead at his home from several stab wounds on March 7, and his son Kevin was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of a blunt injury. The autopsy later revealed that DeFoe was 13 weeks pregnant at the time of her death.
The drums led the songs as the group marched around the courthouse and in front of nearby Carlton High School, where DeFoe and Martineau attended school together. Most of the protesters carried a photo of DeFoe and Kevin.
Sheldon James Thompson, 33, is charged with two intentional second-degree murders and one second-degree murder of an unborn child.
Finland contacted Martineau in March with concerns about DeFoe.
“He contacted me and was worried that his daughter Jackie might be missing,” Martineau said. I said to him that day, ‘You know, Tammy, I’m going to stay with you. I will stay with you until the end of this until we bring him home in spite of everything.
Martineau said he originally founded Gitchigumi Scouts to oppose Enbridge’s Line 3 project, but it developed into something much more.
“I understand I may not be able to stop the pipeline alone, but what I can do is love and care about my community,” Martineau said. “So this is my job, and we are searching for and patrolling missing and murdered indigenous women and patrolling our community to help lower the statistics faced by indigenous peoples by monitoring predatory behavior and responding to domestic violence.”
Martineau said the group has a mobile food kitchen and support for those experiencing homelessness, and it also offers “harm reduction” for addicts in the community.
Finland said it had contacted Martineau again recently after participating in a virtual hearing in which Thompson “grinned and smiled” throughout the call. Finland was concerned that Thompson might try to fight the charges, even though it allegedly admitted the killings of several people and even called an emergency number to report himself.
Fran White, another protest activist, told the public that Thompson had been convicted of several crimes and felony offenses, including violent crimes, over the past 13 years.
“That’s why we’re here today to send a message to Carlton County that this is serious,” Martineau said. “She will not be released with a second blow to the wrist. The Jackie community is gathering around Tammy and demanding justice for both her baby Kevin and that unborn baby.
Martineau also used the event to urge those who experienced domestic violence to speak and contact Gitchigumi Scouts or another agency before it is too late.
“Let’s kick in the door for you,” Martineau said.
Martineau also had a message for the Thompson family, who still live in Carlton County.
“We want Sheldon’s family and his children to know that we love and support them through this,” he said. “None of them are bad, and they shouldn’t have to feel it.”
window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({
appId : '929722297680135',
xfbml : true, version : 'v2.9' }); };
(function(d, s, id){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));