JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Family members of those who have lost their lives to violent crime came together Monday night to honor and remember them.
The Justice Coalition began National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with the annual Tossing of the Roses event at the Jacksonville Landing downtown.
The event brings comfort and healing to families who have lost a loved one to violent crime. It also encourages families to continue to fight for justice and find strength in the shared experience of suffering.
While a rose may seem like just a flower to some, it's a cherished symbol of remembrance for community members who have lost loved ones.
"It's very comforting to know there are so many people there who understand what you're going through and what you're dealing with," Steven Rowe said before the event, which he has attending in past years.
His son, Daniel Rowe, was robbed, shot and killed outside the Riverside restaurant where he worked nearly three years ago.
Rowe said it brings some measure of comfort, knowing his family is not alone in the grief.
"One of the ladies there once told me that we're the family that is growing too fast. And nobody needs to be a part of, but we all stay together," said Rowe.
With multiple murders reported last year, the Justice Coalition family continues to grow and the list of people being honored at the event is getting longer. Rowe said it means everything knowing that help is out there.
"I can't thank the Justice Coalition enough. My wife and I are very blessed to have them on our side getting through this," Rowe said.
Dominic Broadus participated in the ceremony for this first time in honor of his son, Dominic Jerome "DJ" Broadus II, who died in February.
"He was shot and killed in Macclenny," the father said.
The pain is also recent to Latosha Hobbs. Her son, Maurice Hobbs Jr., was killed in February 2017, just two days after his 18th birthday.
"Maurice has the brightest smile, a heart just full of love. He actually opened up here as a musician for the Jacksonville community here on the same stage that I will be honoring him on this evening. So it's all love -- a lot of love," Hobbs told News4Jax at Monday evening's ceremony. "It takes a lot of love to walk this journey. It's a very undeserving journey, and the only thing that gets us through this is the love that the community shares with everyone else."
That love was displayed through the roses.
During the Tossing of the Roses, former prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda prayed and spoke about his efforts to get justice in the cases represented in the audience.
The Justice Coalition is now led by Michael Liles, who is a surviving victim himself. In March 2017, his wife, Deborah, was killed in their Panama Park home.
"That helps. It helps if you've been through that. But I wish that pain on no one," Broadus said. "It's a shame that he has to go through that. It's just a shame that our society is still suffering through this, and we need to really change things."
All the people remembering their loved ones announced their names, took a rose and then, together, tossed them into the St. Johns River.
It was a symbolic act of perseverance, hope, community and honoring.